Last week I submitted my post 9 Tips to be More Creative to Daily Blog Tips’ Blog Writing Project: Tips & Tricks. The full list of 121 is out, and these are my choices for the best tips and tricks related to creativity.

• 6 Tips to Generate Outstanding Ideas - A fantastic post on generating ideas applicable to any pursuit. Key point: quantity will lead to quality. Produce enough ideas and it’s almost guaranteed some of them will be good.
• 5 Tips to a Successful Paid Blogging Gig - For anyone thinking about breaking into freelance writing, aczafra.com has some tips on writing for blogs.
• 5 Tips to Being Interesting - A reminder of the importance of considering the audience of any creative effort. Who are you writing for and what do they want to read?
• Blogging Satisfaction - A great tip for any creative habit, David suggests occasionally taking time to look back on your work and reflect. Seeing how much you’ve grown over time will boost your confidence.

Take a look at the rest of the list for posts on other topics.

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Posted: September 24th, 2007 under Briefly.
Comments: 2

Friday Bookstack is a bi-weekly series featuring the books I currently have on my nightstand. I believe that diversity of interests is vital to encouraging creativity, so I pick up books on a wide variety of topics.

• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
  This book isn’t for everyone. I loved it, but I’m surprised that it has gained the following it has. The Name of the Rose is a medieval detective story, told not only in a medieval setting, but in a medieval voice. It made me nostalgic for primary sources I read in college. The story revolves around a library organized as a labyrinth to conceal its secrets. Woven through the details of the murder mystery are rarefied discussions of medieval religious thought on heresy and other matters, which lend the book much of its flavor. This edition has Eco’s comments on his work, which are almost as good as the novel itself.
• The Joy of Not Working by Ernie J. Zelinski
  An old favorite that I have finally added to my collection, The Joy of Not Working is about building a life outside of work in order to not be completely lost when retired or unemployment. I agree with the negative reviews on Amazon that say this book is impractical and lacks important details - such as how to survive financially when deliberately unemployed. It seems that his advice for purposeful unemployment is for people who have been workaholics and have the savings to show for it. It’s not really geared towards those of us just starting out who never want to develop into workaholics. Nevertheless, although this book often frustrates me through its lack of detail, it always inspires me with its vision. It forces me to consider the balance of my life and reminds me to keep looking for work that fulfills my creative as well as financial needs. For all its faults, The Joy of Not Working is a book I’m glad to have on my shelves.
• Writer’s Digest - August 2007
  The cover article, “Hook, Grab and Pull” by Les Edgerton, attracted me to this issue. Edgerton discusses four methods for writing an opening that will keep editors interested long enough to read the rest of the story. The methods include: introducing a problem worth solving; hooking the reader with immediate problems for the protagonist; establishing the rules of the story, including the mood and genre; and forecasting the ending so the story comes full circle. The article is excerpted from Edgerton’s book Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go. I haven’t got my hands on the book yet, but I will as soon as I can.
• Backpacker - September 2007: The Global Warming Issue
  I could only read this magazine in short bursts, because the information is both fascinating and profoundly discouraging. The details about parks, glaciers, and forests that may not be around in 30 years made me want to hop a train and go see all of them now. I have never seen a glacier, and many of them are already gone. I have never seen the Everglades, and I didn’t even know I wanted to until I read the lyrical article, “Going to Extremes” by Tom Clynes and learned they may soon be underwater. The tone of these articles reminded me of the environmental musings of Bill Bryson in A Walk in the Woods: enjoy these woods now. They may soon be gone forever.

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Posted: September 21st, 2007 under Reviews.
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Have you always wanted to be creative but didn’t know where to start? Everyone wants to think more creatively, whether at work, home, or school. Finding a hobby in which to immerse yourself is the best way to bring out your creative instincts. A hobby doesn’t have to be one of the “arts” to inspire creative thinking. Activities like car repair, woodworking, and cooking all require problem solving and imagination. Learning a new skill will develop your ability to think creatively in all areas of your life. Following are some ways to spark your interest in a new hobby.

Brainstorm ideas.
What are you interested in? What do you have the time and resources to do? Start your new creative adventure by coming up with a list of ideas.

• Capture your interests with a mind map. Ernie Zelinski, author of The Joy of Not Working, suggests creating a Get-a-Life-Tree to visualize your past, present, and future interests. What hobbies did you have in the past? What do you like to do now? Can you spin off from a current hobby? What have you always wanted to do? Draw your mind map on paper or use an online tool like Bubbl.us.
• Collect ideas from others. Talk to your friends, family, and coworkers. What do they do in their free time? You might discover that the people you know have creative lives you never imagined. If any of their interests catch your attention, see if they’ll help get you started.

Research a new hobby before diving in.
Any activity is more fun when you have some idea of what you’re doing. Learn what tools and techniques you’ll need to get the results you want.

• Browse the library. Not sure what kind of hobby you’re looking for? Try browsing the new books in the 700s for arts and crafts, including jewelry, painting, photography, woodworking, and sewing. Look into the 600s for cooking and gardening, and the 006s for computer-related topics, like web design. For writing, try the early 800s. Or ask your friendly librarian for help.
• Focus your online search. Typing “knitting” into Google will get you millions of results. Try a more focused resource like the Internet Public Library or the Yahoo Directory.

Get daily exposure.
When you’re trying to learn all you can about a new interest, it’s important to maintain your enthusiasm. Don’t let too many days go by without learning or doing something related to your hobby.

• Find a blog related to your topic and subscribe to the RSS feed or email service. Try Google Blog Search to find the blog you’re looking for.
• Join a forum about your new hobby. Most forums allow you to subscribe by email to any topic. A daily reminder in your email will help keep you interested.

Take action.
Now that you have a basic knowledge, get started. The trick is to start doing soon after you start learning. Don’t get caught in the trap of just reading about a hobby. Get out there and do it.

• Take a class to learn some hands-on skills and meet other beginners with the same interests. Check out your local arts center, community college, or university for inexpensive classes teaching a variety of skills.
• Find a local group. When you’re researching online, be on the alert for local writing groups, sewing circles, or woodcarving conventions. Meeting others who share the same interest is a good way to immerse yourself.

Nothing gets my mind racing like starting something new that really engages my mind and hands. In future posts, I’ll share some of the techniques and resources I’ve used to explore my various interests.

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Posted: September 20th, 2007 under Creativity.
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I recently signed up to participate in Blog Action Day on October 15. I feel strongly about the environment and am glad to have a way to join an awareness project like this. I would encourage anyone with a blog to do the same.

Over the next month, I plan to review some of my favorite environmental books and websites and offer some tips on how creative people can help preserve the environment. I welcome any suggestions in the comments.

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Posted: September 20th, 2007 under Blog Action Day, Briefly.
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An excerpt from my guest post, “11 Tips for Beginner Photographers” on the Digital Photography School Blog.

As a new photographer, these are some of the ideas that have helped get me going.

1. Don’t go crazy buying the most expensive equipment right away.
It’s possible to get very nice photos with an inexpensive point and shoot. See these examples on Flickr. The more photos you take, the more you’ll know about what kind of camera to get when it’s time to upgrade.

2. Consider a tripod.
On the other hand, an inexpensive tripod is worth getting, especially if you have shaky hands like mine. When I got a tripod, my satisfaction with my shots skyrocketed. For even more stability, use your camera’s timer function with a tripod (read our introduction to tripods).

Read the rest here.

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Posted: September 19th, 2007 under Briefly, Photography.
Comments: 2