Write Outside the Box Revisited

If you happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, then June is announced with the closing of school doors, the splash of pool water and the silence of the computer keyboard.

Our bodies? Outside.

Our minds? Stuck somewhere in between pages of pool-side books and margarita-filled glasses.
Our writing? On the back burner, waiting to spring to life, maybe some time in early September.

So why is this the time of year to push our minds to think and write outside of the box?

Because it is perhaps the only way to keep our brains from falling into the hot and humid abyss.

So here are your writing tools for the summer:
1. A good book (I suggest Kate Hopper's "Use Your Words")
2. A new pen and notebook.
3. The following "Write Outside the Box" exercises:

Getting Boxed In - give our minds time to process information and think about it. Let it sink in. Roll it around on your tongue. Let your imagination mold it and shape it into new forms. And most importantly, use your own foundation of knowledge and experiences to digest it. Your mind may find new connections, new meaning to the information, which will help the writer to push forth an entirely new idea written in a unique manner.

Spring Forth Creativity - turn to different creative ventures (e.g., using a notebook instead of the computer, begin your writing with crayola drawings, try on a genre you normally don't write, cast away assumptions by taking on a viewpoint from a different character, makes lists, lots and lots of lists).

Hidden Assumptions - assumptions are the walls of your box, so break them down. Make a list of your personal assumptions. You can find an example of my own list on my blog Zook Book Nook. Think about your assumptions and their origin. Tackle and break down your assumptions by (1) asking the person who is talking to expand on what they are saying and listen, (2) put several different people of different backgrounds into a situation or scene and think about how it changes everything, (3) encompass a wider range of diversity (society, culture, religion, organization, language, time period, location, etc).

Exercises for the Writer-Mama
These exercises are ones that I can pick from on a daily basis to give my brain a kick in the neurons to remind myself to keep my writing original, innovative and creative. Many of these exercises I've gathered from other writers and thinkers I know or have read about. A special thanks to them!

1. Read, Read, Read. And not just books we're comfortable with, but new genres, new age groups, new authors. And think, think, think about what I am reading. Set a reading challenge for yourself.
2. Explore different niches. To perfect my craft I try to write in areas that I know, but as a writer wanting to live outside the box I need to try out different niches that writers put themselves into. I believe this improves our writing overall as it helps us to develop different writing styles and to learn from others in each niche.
3. Utilize the lists. Other than my grocery list and 'to do' list, my lists are personal and have the vulnerability of first drafts. Mary Jo Campbell's exercise of creating a list of our fears that we will overcome and actually crossing off items on it is a perfect example of how a list can help us to actively seek life outside of the box. To continue this awareness, she suggests generating a list of 100 items that make us come alive so that we can surround ourselves with these things daily.
4. Try on new words. Poet Susan G. Wooldridge utilizes an exercise in creating a word pool for a daily swim. In her book poemcrazy, Susan describes collecting words and attaching them to objects around the house to give new meaning to both the words and objects. Take this exercise one step further and create connections between the objects with their new words or try using the word-object combination in your writing.
5. Blog. My blog has come a long way for me personally. When I began my blog I used it as a springboard into writing. As a new mom with a colicky newborn I was usually very exhausted when a free moment to write landed in my lap. Blogging helped me to just get my fingertips on the keyboard. But recently my blog has taken on new meaning for me. I see it as a challenge for me to climb. It forces me to think about new topics, new directions, and new ideas.