Writing a book can add to your income goals. When done right, writing a book can make money. In this case, writing a book is a great idea because it adds another stream of income to your business or lifestyle. As a stay-at-home mom or boardroom professional, having a book available makes sales possible while you are focused on other aspects of your life. It’s true. You could be making money while you are sleeping!
Finding Inspiration to Write
I like to believe that inspiration can be both the protagonist and antagonist in our writing stories. There are days when inspiration flows freely, and it’s difficult to cork the pour. Other times, inspiration seems to taunt us from the shores of a distant island while we rummage for things to assemble into a mangled version of a boat to get there. I have found that even on my hardest days, there are a few places that I can immediately turn to in an effort to get the thoughts flowing:
1. Nature – It can be as simple as opening the window and admiring the trees outside, or as complicated as observing a habitat from a hidden perch. Nature provides a backdrop and soundtrack on even the most uninspired days.
2. Family – Family offers inspiration from numerous perspectives. From parenting to jilted interactions at holiday gatherings, there is enough subject matter to write something different daily.
3. Photographs – They say that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Take a look at a photograph and draw inspiration from the details you notice and stories it tells.
4. Personal Stories – You have a story to tell. When seeking inspiration, sometimes the inspiration is within. Take time to share your journey, even if it is just to the grocery store.
As a writer, it is easy to get blocked. Opening yourself to inspiration from various sources, even the seemingly mundane, offers a way to keep your channels open. I believe that writing every day makes it easier to write on demand because you’re always in the flow.
The Power of Brain Dumping
When you were learning to write, your teachers probably shared information on how to brainstorm. I know, because I used them when I was a teacher. I had my students draw a cloud in the middle of the paper for the topic and lightning bolts coming from the cloud for possible main ideas. The raindrops represented the additional subtopics and details. Clever right? I thought so too. 😊 But here’s the thing sometimes my students would get so caught up in drawing perfection that they’d miss the mark on their brainstorming. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a great graphic organizer as a writing tool. However, I have found much more freedom and flexibility in “brain dumping”. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Brain dumping is just that, dumping everything that is in your mind onto paper. It doesn’t have to be organized in a specific way. It doesn’t even have to make sense. The only rules – 1) dump it all, and 2) don’t stop until you feel empty (or until the timer goes off)! After you’ve dumped all of your ideas around a topic, you can begin to look for themes and connection points. Use the recurring themes and related content to craft your writing. Don’t trash the unused ideas. They may be fruitful in other efforts.
In short, brain dumping is powerful because:
1) It is not just for writing. Brain dumping can be used to bring clarity in many areas of life (career, decision making, event planning, etc.).
2) 1 brain dump = many options. Brain dumping often yields inspiration for new efforts and next endeavors.
How have you embraced the power of brain dumping?