Thursday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

A PERFECT COMBINATION 

Lexington, KY, had another major snow event. I opened the front door this morning and snapped a picture! We have 8.5 inches and counting. The University of Kentucky called off classes again. It’s a great time to stay in and write. Unlike other Lexingtonians, I’ve stayed in all winter. First, recovering from foot surgery, and now the weather. Spring will arrive soon. It will be in the low 60s next week.

THE EMERALD BROOCH is writing itself while I sleep, well sort of! Usually I wake up with ideas, but this morning, I woke up with a movie playing in my mind. Now to capture it on paper will be the trick. 

I love it when moments of inspiration hit me in the face. Usually it happens in the shower. Hot water has a way of releasing inspiration much like a massage releases nasty knots in my shoulders. When we do things that make us feel great and relaxed, such as warm showers and exercise, we have an increase in dopamine in our brains and that triggers more creative wanderings. 

A magic combination: Relaxed state of mind and full of dopamine is more likely to give us our best and most creative ideas. So when we're stuck, a brisk walk/run or hot shower will most likely unstick us!

And, to capture creative moments while in the shower, I'm going to try water proof notepads such as Aqua Notes. That might work for the shower, but I still haven’t figured out how to capture those moments of inspiration while running. Voice recording is a possibility, but dang inconvenient because I stash my iPhone in my hydration pack. I might have to start carrying a pen and writing on my arm! If you have a solution, please let me know.

I hope your day is full of creative moments, and if you don’t have time to tend to your ideas just yet, that you’re able to capture them and let them flourish later.

Happy writing and running, Kathy

~*~

If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:

1. The Write Conversation : The Working Writer—Don't Wait for the Mood to Strike to Write! http://ow.ly/JWzgB
2. Fiction University: Day Four: Clarify the Goals and Motivations http://ow.ly/JWzmL
3. How to Avoid the Second-Book Slump - Live Write Breathe http://ow.ly/JWzpI
4. How To Tell If You Are In A Soft Science Fiction Novel http://ow.ly/JWA7p
5. Blots & Plots: Use Attitude When Introducing Characters - Elizabeth Spann Craig http://ow.ly/JWAqR
6. How to Personalize Your Blog in 3 Simple Steps http://ow.ly/JWAg7
7. Writer Unboxed » Tying Character Types to Plot, Suspense, and Emotion http://ow.ly/JWAJP
8. 4 tips for handling multiple perspectives in a third person narrative | Nathan Bransford, Author http://ow.ly/JWARe
9. The Write Type - Multi-Author Musings: Five Things Writers Should Shed http://ow.ly/JWB49
10. 9 Simple and Powerful Ways to Get More Retweets on Twitter: Report - Jeffbullas's Blog http://ow.ly/JWBks
11. Writability: Vlog: How to Handle Tough CP Feedback http://ow.ly/JWBqt
12. The Art Of Agenting | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/JWBwP