by Beth K. Vogt, @bethvogt

Life was a bit, um, chaotic for me during the last half of 2018.

One thing I learned?

I struggle to be creative in chaos.

This, of course, added stress to being a productive writer.

Which brings us to today’s post.

My circumstances have changed. The chaos has calmed. The stress is abating. And I, being a writer, need to be creative.

Translation: I can no longer ignore my deadline.

But I’m exhausted. Not that this should surprise me, right?

So how does an exhausted writer regain her creativity? I’m glad you asked. Let me share some tips I’ve discovered to boost personal creativity:

1. Explore your city or town with a camera. This idea appeals to me because photography is one of my hobbies. I also take thousands of volleyball photos, thanks to my daughter’s year-round commitment. But this pick-up-your-camera-and-go-roaming recommendation is about relaxing and seeing your surroundings through your camera lens. Yep. Gonna’ do this one.
2. Try a new recipe. I’m not all that into cooking, but I’m surrounded by family members who love to bake and cook. But experimenting with a new recipe – cinnamon rolls, anyone? – could be just the thing to ignite your senses in a new way.
3. Get physical. If you’re used to sitting at your desk when you’re brainstorming a scene, change it up. Go for a walk outside or on your treadmill and talk the scene out while you record it on phone. Or invite another writer friend along – not on the treadmill, of course – and brainstorm together. Use your smartwatch or phone to remind yourself to get up and move some every hour. Or do something really crazy and don’t just listen to your favorite Spotify playlist, go ahead and dance, dance, dance in your office.
4. Be inspired by other’s thoughts on creativity. Visit an art museum or a botanical garden. Read a good book outside your preferred genre or explore Soul Care When You’re Weary: Embracing God, Exploring Creativity by author and speaker Edie Melson. Watch a TED talk on creativity like “How to Build Your Creative Confidence” by David Kelley or the entire series of TED talks titled “The Creative Spark” – that second one is also on my “gonna’ do this” list!
5. Create a vision board. Lots of people create vision boards for the new year that help them identify their resolutions or intentions for the coming months. As writers, we can be more specific and develop a vision board for a work-in-progress (WIP). Think about your book’s themes, the Story Question, the main characters’ Dark Moments, as well as their Wounds, Lies, Fears, Flaws – and their Happily Ever After, if there is one. Don’t ignore the book’s setting. Post your novel’s vision board where you’ll see it while you’re writing – a visual spark for your creativity.

Which one of these suggestions do you want to try to boost your creativity? What other suggestions do you have?

Things I Never Told You by Beth K. Vogt

It’s been ten years since Payton Thatcher’s twin sister died in an accident, leaving the entire family to cope in whatever ways they could. No longer half of a pair, Payton reinvents herself as a partner in a successful party-planning business and is doing just fine—as long as she manages to hold her memories and her family at arm’s length.

But with her middle sister Jillian’s engagement, Payton’s party-planning skills are called into action. Which means working alongside her opinionated oldest sister, Johanna, who always seems ready for a fight. They can only hope that a wedding might be just the occasion to heal the resentment and jealousy that divides them . . . until a frightening diagnosis threatens Jillian’s plans and her future. As old wounds are reopened and the family faces the possibility of another tragedy, the Thatchers must decide if they will pull together or be driven further apart.

Includes discussion questions.

Beth K. Vogt is a non-fiction author and editor who said she’d never write fiction. She’s the wife of an Air Force family physician (now in solo practice) who said she’d never marry a doctor—or anyone in the military. She’s a mom of four who said she’d never have kids. Now Beth believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” Beth’s first women’s fiction novel for Tyndale House Publishers, Things I Never Told You, releases May 2018. Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RITA® finalist. Her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. A November Bride was part of the Year of Wedding Series by Zondervan. Having authored nine contemporary romance novels or novellas, Beth believes there’s more to happily-ever-after than the fairy tales tell us. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Novel Rocket and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people, and their youngest daughter, Christa, who loves to play volleyball and enjoys writing her own stories. Connect with Beth at bethvogt.com.