I definitely think that the power of jotting down your ideas when they occur is powerful. My best ideas come in the shower, while lying in bed, taking a walk, or just reading a book. It’s essential to have pen and paper ready at all times!

I am currently enrolled in a Masters Program (in Professional Writing) where we have a weekly assignment to comment on a blog about writing and writers.

Your most helpful point in this post for me: “It’s about peeling off the layers that are preventing the ideas from coming to you in the first place.” So true!

Brainstorming – in its variable forms – is the traditional, standby method to generate ideas for me as a corporate marketing writer. But I agree that we must let everything come out. In other words, when brainstorming do not censor.

We shouldn’t worry about any ideas being too extreme, crazy or off the wall. If you don’t put them out there, you’ll never know. Anything goes, and don’t over-think. I learned this from a “creativity” course over 30 years ago. Once you get the ideas (however crazy or insane they may appear) out, then you can remove the ones that are too extreme for your project. And keep, edit, or grow those that will work for you.

I think the part of our brain that allows new ideas to form must be relaxed and comfortable, “on vacation.” That is when I discover new ideas, when my brain is not working to find the right words or thoughts, or thinking about paying the bills or the next task on my list, or the upcoming deadline I have to reach on a project for a client.

Your “7 Secrets to Generating Unlimited Ideas” is extremely helpful to those of us who write for a living. Most writers have – at some point – run into the ever-feared “block.” I know if we were to grab the ideas when they come to us – on a walk, after exercise, in the shower, etc. – we wouldn’t have to spend so much time searching for them.

I agree: mind-clearing activities are the healthiest for allowing the ideas to surface. I’ve found that the best ideas come when I’m doing the most mundane activities such as taking a shower, walking the dog, and yes, cleaning house. Many times it’s when I am not stressed and outside getting fresh air, walking or running.

Exercise definitely frees your mind. Yoga is absolutely the best for me. Getting oxygen to the brain and body muscles generates life and growth and positive energy (also a key factor to allowing new ideas to form).

I do notice when the ideas come more freely, but haven’t taken the time to act on it and utilize the ripe moments for productivity. From now on, I’ll make sure I have a notebook close by during the times I know my mind will be open and relaxed. And when I sit down at the computer later, I will at least have the ideas in raw form to begin.

I am interested in this because I want to shift into doing more creative writing, and believe that once I get a feel for that type of writing, I can do it. I have loads of ideas to develop. Now it’s about making notes when the ideas come, and having the discipline to follow through with the writing, which is a passion for me.

I totally support your notion that following one’s passion and purpose breeds inspiration. Thank you for sharing your 7 Secrets. I will share with my fellow classmates and hope they get as much from it as I did.

Thank you. This is a great post. You have shared some good ideas here. Cheers!

There’s an old zen saying. To paraphrase: when you chop vegetables, just chop vegetables and when you carry wood, just carry wood. And I am not just saying that: I actually do these sorts of things daily. Household chores, running errands…I really enjoy that sort of physical/manual labor. It floats my boat, whereas others tell me it sinks their boat. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

As a writer, I suffer frequently from “writer’s block.” My mind does not work, I feel, and I run out of ideas. Invariably, however, when I go outside for a longish stroll in the wilderness, boy, do I feel so much better. It really clears my mind. It is inspiring to walk and you tap into your inner wisdom. That subconscious plays with ideas and those ideas can surface at any time. And yes, sometimes such ideas are beyond your control. Some of my best poems I have written in such moments of quietude. The natural world is beautiful and it can be an eternal fountain from which we must drink, again and again, and without judgment. And without attachment.

When you have no expectations…when you don’t want results…when you are not looking for instant gratification….that’s when ideas will start to flow, organically.
This has happened to me so many times that now it has almost become a habit.
When the student is ready, the master will appear is an old zen proverb.

Problem here is that dishes either don’t get finished or ideas don’t get finished. Something has to work though.

Definitely in my list – go for a drive. Preferably a route you’re very used to. The kind where you can drive and realize you’ve gone 10-20 minutes without consciously thinking about the act of driving.

The one downside… you end up 10-20 minutes away from a place where you can start dumping your thoughts onto a computer.

Henri, I feel when I watch TV, make observations, or listen to music the best ideas come into my head.

Being a design student and always having to brainstorm of new ways of doing things, they taught us to keep a pad of paper and pencil by our beds because we come up with all the good ideas in our sleep.

Most of my best jokes came from simply brushing my teeth, taking a shower, walking to the store, driving to gigs, lying in bed watching the morning news, etc… sitting down and doing the grunt mental work is good for refining those ideas, but I find that if you force it from the beginning – you’ll likely mentally block yourself out of frustration quite often.

Yeah… washing the dishes.

I used to hate it. Until I realized that the reason I hated it was due to focusing on hating it. Thinking stuff like: “I hate washing dishes” or “Why do I have to wash dishes again?”

I won’t lie and say that I love washing dishes now – I don’t – but at least I can appreciate the meditative quality you wrote about and I’ve had some really good ideas as well.

Matter of fact, I now keep a notebook and pen close to my kitchen sink in case inspiration strikes again.

“When inspiration hits me, it’s almost like there’s a rope attached to my heart pulling me to my computer to write.”

…I have felt compelled to write and as you say, when that happens I know it’s coming from a good place.

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said allow (not force) – my best ideas come through when i go with the flow.