Creative ToolKits
What if you had a toolkit you could bring wherever you are to help you create?
Inspired by: The Dirigible Plum
What rituals, objects, or tools inspire you to create?
Here are a few things I would put in mine:
A spark, a mentor text, a mentor. Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones Reading poetry during my morning writing sessions is always a must. Reading in general is a great practice for me. I heard on a podcast recently that an author doubled her reading and her writing output increased over 30%. This is something I want to experiment with for myself.
The right tools. My notebook and the pen I feel like using that morning. Right now my notebook is from Vera Bradley and my pen is a metal barrel Sharpie.
I can write anywhere but I like having the right tool for how I am feeling. Sometimes that means the KEEP app on my phone. I also need my laptop. I couldn't publish anything without it! I also do a lot of drafting and revision work on the computer.
Podcasts. I have rotating favorites. I tend to listen to them on walks and when I drive. Driving always seems to spark ideas for me.
A walk. There is never a time when a walk doesn’t bring forth some ideas.
Silence or white noise. I cannot listen to music with words and write. It just doesn't work for me.
Talking to other writers. I love my various writing communities and they fuel me all in such different ways.
Prompts. I love writing to prompts. It allows me to enter a piece of writing from a different angle each time. I have my regular routines in the morning and it always sparks the right writing for the day. You can get my 100 prompt book here.
Strong emotions. This has been a new one for me, but I have been working on paying attention to my emotions more and what triggers them. If I am feeling strongly about something I have been writing the way my body feels, the thoughts running through my head, or I allow the emotion to come through what I am writing that day. This can be love, anger, grief, restlessness, etc.
What would be in your toolkit?
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
What are some essentials you can’t write without?
Are there any reference books that you find useful when your writing, or that relate to your current work in progress?
Are there any books on the craft of writing you like to dip in and out of while writing?
Do you like to keep a planner for your writing?