Creative Journal ~ Writing out your 2018 Creative Projects

Creative Journal

Writing out your 2018

Creative Projects

BLOG SESSION

January 12th, 2018

Welcome back for another great Blog Session Writers and Creatives!  We are going to be covering the topic of Writing out your 2018 Creative Projects.

If you are new here to the Blog, we always take notes in our Journals, so now is the time to grab your Journal and ink pen for tonight's notes...

      Journal Notes

The best thing to do on page one of your Journal is to make a note that to-do-lists are wonderful, but visualizing your Creative Projects works even better.  What do I mean by that?  I mean "seeing" is "doing".

If you like making to-do-list, then try a variation of that activity by getting a pack of post-it notes in a variety of colors...

Post-it Notes

(Variety of Colors)

Once you pick up your post-it-notes in various colors, you may want to get various sizes as well...

Post-It Notes

(Various sizes)

Colorful post-it notes will attract your attention.  Here's what you will do with your post-it notes:

1)  Create drawings on your larger post-it notes;

2)  Add dates and times on your smaller post-it notes;

3)  For instance, if you plan on writing a Novel, then draw your Novel Cover on a larger post-it note, and then write the various choices for your title on the smaller post-it notes;

4)  Add your novel project dates on the smaller post-it notes as well ~ such as the date you intend to complete certain chapters, or the dates you intend to complete your editing, etc.;

5)  Use larger post-it notes to draw out how your characters look (if you are an artist);

6)  Use larger post-it notes to list out the character traits of each of your characters; and

7)  Draw various scenes from your Novel on your larger post-it notes.

Of course, you can always purchase an unlined Journal and draw inside of that versus on your post-it notes.  It is up to you how you would like to use your creativity in relation to whatever project you have in store for 2018.

If you are working on writing a Children's book, you may want to draw out the various scenes on your larger post-it notes . . .

Drawings for Post-it Note

For a Children's Book

(Drawing seen above and below by Artist Don Kenn)

The purpose for using post-it notes to place inside of your Journal is so that you may easily remove them, and replace them if you do edits of your ideas and thoughts.

This is a brief Blog Session just to give you a quick tip for using your creativity in 2018 to keep you on task with your writing and creative projects.  We'll be back with more tips in our next Blog Session!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

Drawing Ideas

Friends ~ See you in the next fascinating Blog Session!

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2018 - All Rights Reserved

Time to get up bright and early and . . . get to Writing!

Time to get up bright and early and . . .

get to Writing!

BLOG SESSION

January 9th, 2018

Good Morning Writers, Authors, Poets, and all Creative Writers of various genres ~ We're back here on the Blog to have a wonderful Session that will get you perked up this morning and ready to w r i t e!

The first thing that will get some of us Writers going this morning is ~ you guessed it . . .

A nice hot fresh cup of JAVA!

For other Writers, it is necessary that there be quiet in the morning.  Introspective Writers have difficulty getting up to a lot of noise, chatter, and hustle bustle in the morning.  In fact, many of our writing friends here with us on the Blog will be glad to share their insight with you on the meditation practices that they utilize in the morning.  Our writing friends who meditate and/or take it slow in the morning (like the cat at the top of today's Blog Session) are not on the buzzing bees team, and we should not look for them to be.  Everybody has their own pace, and we should respect that about each of us.

Many of our friends here this morning will also share with you how they make it a habit to first get up and start making a note of what they dreamed about before they have a chance of getting caught up in the movement of the day and lose sight of the vision in their dream.  For many Writers here this morning, a Dream Journal  or a Dream Diary is a necessary tool that is needed by their bedside, and has great value . . .

Dream Diaries are companions to Dreamers

and also serve as an additional bonus to your regular Diary.

Dream Diaries

are a Dreamer's Best Friend

For many Writer's, their dreams are the fuel that ignites the embers that create their Short Stories, Mystery Novels, Journal Writings, Crime Stories, Plays, Lyrics to Songs, and Special Projects.

Dream Journals give you more room to write and add illustrations, drawings, symbols, numbers and other items that accompany your dreams.  Whenever you have a quiet time (and space) to write your Dreams out, you should open up your Dream Journal and write away ~ .  Every little detail that you can recall (including the feelings that went along with the events in your dream) is important to write down.  You'll be grateful that you wrote down all the little details and the bits and pieces of your dreams, because you will more easily recall what happened in your dreams with detailed input recorded in your Dream Journal or Dream Diary (whichever you prefer to use).

Dream Journalist

(The Dreamer who records dreams in their Dream Journal)

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSON:

You're the only one who can tell your story ~

So, by all means ~ Tell it!

Friends ~ See you in the next fascinating Blog Session!

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2018 - All Rights Reserved

Noon Edition ~ Authors & Novelists with ink...

BLOG SESSION

November 29th, 2017

Noon Edition

Good Afternoon Authors & Novelists ~ We're back here on the Blog for a quick Session about your writing project that you took on for the month of November.

Many of us participated in NaNoWriMo this month for National Novel Writing Month wherein every Writer gets online to work on their 50,000 word Novel for the year among other wonderful Writers & Authors.

If you are here with us, then you are most likely a Writer who has a real passion for writing.  No matter what genre you are gravitating towards, a couple of areas that we have not discussed in depth are the areas of Journalism and Historical Fiction.

JOURNALISM

The activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast.

HISTORICAL FICTION

This genre presents a story set in the past, often during a significant time period.  In historical fiction, the time period is an important part of the setting and often of the story itself.  Historical fiction may include fictional characters, well-known historical figures or a mixture of the two.

If you have not yet looked into these two areas, please take a moment to do so at some point.

Wrapping up your Novel for this month

As you continue to work on your Novel today to wrap up for NaNoWriMo by the deadline of midnight November 30th ~ enjoy the journey!

~ Best wishes Novel Writer! ~

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2017 - All Rights Reserved

Do you feel like you are in a Blue Haze?

Do you feel like you are in a Blue Haze?

BLOG SESSION

July 2017

Good Evening Blog Readers, Writers, Followers & Visitors ~ We're back with our Journals!

If you were here for our last Blog Session, then you already know to have your Journal in hand for our Sessions.  Just get your pen out, and get ready to take some good notes in relation to your creativity.

Journal Notes

If you feel like you are in a blue haze, and you are unable to get creative, then this is the Blog Session for you.

First, you have to think back to our last Blog Session where we talked about "Creative Journal Writing", and we discussed using Art as inspiration to create your writings in your Journal.  If you had a chance to take a look at our Artistic Minds® Collection, then you will be able to understand how inspiring Art can be, and just how inspiring Art is.

To write is to pour out the material latent within your soul.  When you actually focus on the pen in your hand, and you freely let your pen flow, then you are allowing your spirit to birth what needs to be born and seen in the light of day.

Once the words begin to flow out, then you can allow what is taking place to happen without your interruption.  Your mind is not needed.  Your soul is working with the aid of your spirit.

When you think too long and too hard about writing, you are getting in the way of the process.  If you must think, then think about relaxing your mind . . .

Relax in Nature 

Once you take the time to relax your mind, just know that you are relaxing your body at the same time.  What your mind does directs what your body shall do next.  If your mind is bogged down with lots of items to think about, your body will begin to tense up.  If you keep this up for extended periods of time, then your tension will lead to stress.  We can't let that happen now can we? ~ No.  So, remind yourself to relax.

You know that saying, "Take time to smell the flowers." ~ Let's change that to ~ "Take time to relax your mind."  Relaxation is meaningful, and especially helpful for the flow of your writing.

Just check yourself right now ~ does your body feel tense?  Do your shoulders feel tight?  Do you feel tension in your back?  Are your eyes tired?  Does your face feel tight?  Is the back of your neck tight?  Are your feet throbbing?  Are your legs tense? ~ If so, then you need to r e l a x.

This evening, take a moment to get still and relax.  If you feel like it, light a candle.  If you like incense, light some of that as well.  If you enjoy soft music, then turn your favorite selection on.  If silence is your friend, by all means, get quiet.

Whatever works for you is exactly what you need to do to get your "self" relaxed.

After you feel as if you are relaxed, then turn to your Journal and write.  Write whatever comes out.  Don't think about what you are going to write, just write.

In the morning, and not until morning ~ read what you wrote.

Man reading his Journal

If per chance the Artist in you happens to come out as you turn to your Journal to write, by all means, let the Artist in you come on out and draw!

In Our Next Blog Session:

MORE CREATIVITY!

We'll soon be leaving the month of July ~

See you before it's out!

Peace, Love & Light,

René

© Copyright - René Allen - JULY 2017 - All Rights Reserved

The Balancing Stones Sculpture Writing Project

February - March 2017

We are now back with the continuation of our Balancing Stones Sculpture Writing Project!

In our last Session, we had completed our full Journal page written on our Stone 8 Prep, and we had answered the four questions we were told to work on.  We also printed out the Balancing Stones Sculpture diagram and placed our chosen word for Stone 8 taken from our Journal writing. The word we each chose was the word that jumped out at us from our writing.

We have now had a chance to think about our answers to the four questions we answered and the Stone 8 word that we chose.  With that in mind, we have also taken a look at our Balancing Stones Sculpture diagram with all of our eight Stones in place.  (For those who joined us at Stone 6 or 7, you may just have those two Stones in place, and that is fine, this will work the same for all of us at this point).

We now have one (1) more Stone left to go!  Your last Stone -- Stone 9 could end up anywhere on your Balancing Stones Sculpture diagram, depending upon your choice of placement of your words thus far.

Here comes the FUN part . . .

Here is where you pull out the Writer in you and get ready to be present and focused on this last Stone.

INSTRUCTIONS:  Take all of the words that you have placed on your Balancing Stones Sculpture diagram, including Stone 2 which is the year that your Stone 1 word was first used in the English language.  (For those who joined us in the middle of our Writing Project and did not go back to the beginning to catch up, you may just have one word or two, it is fine, you may just follow along with the same Instructions with the words that you have)...

We will be utilizing all the words at our disposal to come up with our Stone 9.

Here are my words as an example for everyone . . .

The Balancing Stones Sculpture Writing Project

Stones 1 - 8

(My Example)

Stone 1 - Novelist

Stone 2 - 1728

Stone 3 - Opera

Stone 4 -  Novels

Stone 5 - Journal

Stone 6 - Therapy

Stone 7 -  Behavorism

Stone 8 - Radical

Ask the Writer in you a very important question:

What can I write in my Journal utilizing all of the words on my Balancing Stones Sculpture diagram?

You'll have until tomorrow to come back with a full Journal page using all of the words on your Stones.  This is where your creativity has to come into play as a Writer.  If you cannot seem to fill up a full Journal page, then you will need to fill in the story just like an Author, Novelist, Journalist, Script Writer, Film Writer, Playwright or Poet does.  In essence, you must think like the Writer that you are.  I can see the smiles on your faces.

You get the picture loved ones ~ WRITE.

See you tomorrow with your full Journal page!

Peace, Love & Light,

  René

© Copyright - René Allen - FEBRUARY - MARCH 2017 - All Rights Reserved

The Balancing Stones Sculpture Writing Project

February - March 2017

We are now back from our Break . . .

Everyone should have pulled out the following Writing Tools during our Break...

1)  Journal

2)  Full Journal page writing about Stone 6

3)  Full Journal page writing about Stone 7

4)  Balancing Stones Sculpture Print-out

All Writing Project participants should have written a full Journal page about their Stone 7 word, and placed their Stone 7 word on their Balancing Stones Sculpture print-out.  This includes all of our new participants that just joined us.

As promised, I told everyone that I would come back here after break with my Stone 7 full Journal Page example on my word, which is "Behavorism".  My angle that I am writing from is that of a Novelist.  My full Journal page example is written like a page out of a Novel (See example below)...

FULL JOURNAL ENTRY EXAMPLE

Stone 7 word:  “Behavorism”

Writing Angle:  Novelist

Journal Entry…

Sandra had begun her class that she had signed up for, which was “therapy of the soul”.  Her mission was to get something out of the class to change her mental and spiritual framing.

During her class session, she kept the thought about the brain and its relationship to behavior.  She knew that the brain processes had an impact on both behavior and psychological functioning.  Her classmate Cynthia, seemed to have an obsession about normal and abnormal behavior, which is the reason why she felt she needed to take the class – basically for therapy of her soul.  Her family was abnormal in her mind.  They did not do the things normal people did.

The more they spoke to each other on breaks during the class session, the more Sandra thought that Cynthia needed to focus in on the area of behaviorism.  When asked to explain what “behaviorism” was to her new friend, she told Cynthia that behaviorism was the theory that human and animal behavior can be explained in terms of conditioning, without appeal to thoughts or feelings, and that psychological disorders are best treated by altering behavior patterns.

Her explanation peaked Cynthia’s interest in relation to her family.  When Cynthia asked Sandra to tell her more about behaviorism, she kindly obliged.

“You see, Cynthia behaviorism is a systematic approach to the understanding of human and animal behavior, and assumes that all behaviors are either reflexes produced by a response to certain stimuli in the environment, or a consequence of that individual’s history, including reinforcement and punishment.”  Sandra waited on her friend’s response to the information she had given her.

“That is interesting.  Tell me a little more.”  Cynthia told Sandra.

Sandra leaned back in her chair a little and proceeded, “An individual’s current motivational state and controlling stimuli make a huge difference in their behavior.  Although Behaviorists generally accept the important role of inheritance in determining behavior, they focus primarily on environmental factors.”

“Really?”  Cynthia’s wheels were turning in her head.  She thought for a moment, then asked Sandra the question that was on her mind, “Do you think I may have inherited my horrible behavior traits, or do you think my behavior is due to my bad environment?”

Before responding to her new friend, she thought for a moment because she did not want to hurt her feelings.  In her mind she thought that from what Cynthia had told her that she had a bad environment, and that she had definitely inherited some undesirable behavior traits.  So she paused.

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - MARCH 2017 - All Rights Reserved

___________________________________________________________________

Everyone should now have a complete full Journal Page written on the topic of their Stone 7 word coming from the angle of the Writer of your choice (Novelist, Author, Poet, Script Writer, Film Writer, Journalist, News Reporter, etc).

Please post your comments on your Stone 7 word if you like.  I will be back with examples from participants of their Stone 7 word choices, and any comments or questions received about our Writing Project.

Our next meeting here will consist of further information on our next step as we progress to Stone 8 and insight for Writers.

Get your Journals ready!

Peace, Love & Light,

  René

© Copyright - René Allen - FEBRUARY - MARCH 2017 - All Rights Reserved