I’ve been writing stories since I could write (which was before I started school). The earliest work I remember (that my parents saved anyhow) was a horrid poem entitled “Silly Mouse.” It didn’t even rhyme. However, as I matured, my writing (I like to think) improved.

When we were in grade school, my sister and I found a nifty new game in one of those Scholastic-type school magazines. It was called “Plot Luck” and the goal was to write a crazy story as you moved your token along the pathway to the finish line. It provided word prompts at various points, which you had to incorporate into your story. My sister and I used to compete to see who could come up with the silliest story, then see if our parents would laugh at it. We cut the pages out of the magazine and mounted the game on a piece of cardboard so it would last longer. We played for hours at a time, exercising our imaginations and creating tale after tale. I wish I still had that old game, just for nostalgia purposes, but it fell apart long ago.

When I was in middle and high school, I kept up my reading and writing, even getting a short poem published in the local newspaper for a contest. Unfortunately, I was convinced by well-meaning adults that writers didn’t make a good living and encouraged to make a career in the other area in which I excelled: science. I have to say that the paychecks have been satisfactory, but there are times I wonder what my career would have been like if I’d taken the leap and tried to become a full-time writer back in the beginning (or maybe took the writing more seriously and tried harder to get published).

It wasn’t until the mid-90s that I began seriously sending out short stories to magazines and getting paid for my work. I even got a couple of stories compiled into two “Best Of” anthologies, which was heartening. Then I found out about NaNoWriMo, where you sign up to write 50,000 words in 30 days. My best friend dared me to do it, and I dug out an old fan-fiction piece I’d done, changed the names and a bit of the scenario, and had a go at it. I ended up with a finished novel. It’s been through a few revisions, but it’s ready to be published if I can just find a publisher who doesn’t think “caper” stories are dead. Like I said, I should have started publishing sooner, like back when those were more popular.

I now have three historical novels written, along with a (now out-of-print) anthology of short stories that sold tolerably well. One of my alter-egos has five e-books at a small press and the other alter-ego is editing our first science-fiction novel. I’ve published several of my short stories in magazines and anthologies. I’m hoping to attract the attention of a sci-fi agent at sometime soon. And, as with Disney, it all started with a mouse.

Writing is a creative process. Most of the time, it’s just you and your brain, clicking away at that story. It’s not always easy to connect with that creativity, though. Here are some techniques to help you get back in touch with your creative side.

• Focus on the process. If you’re a “pantser,” try making an outline. If you normally start at the beginning and work straight through, try working on one scene that’s caught your interest, even if it’s near the end of the story. Shake things up by thinking about how you work instead of just working.
• Brainstorm. One of the best techniques to number your paper 1-100 and start jotting down ideas. You’ll have to start really working once you get somewhere around 50 – that’s where the creativity kicks in. Don’t give up — and don’t edit the ideas for silliness. Sometimes the silliest notions end up being your best ideas.
• Freewrite. This is where you set a time limit – usually 15-20 minutes – and just write. Don’t edit, don’t worry about spelling or grammar, and don’t worry if it makes sense. In freewriting, if you have a thought like “This is silly,” then you write “I’m thinking this is silly,” and keep writing. Freewriting gets your creative juices flowing and gets you into the habit of writing.
• Change your tools. If you must write in Microsoft Word on an iPad, try using a pencil and a notebook. Get your laptop and write in bed instead of using your desktop. Sometimes you get so hung up on using just the right pen or paper that you lose touch with your creativity. Change stimulates creativity.
• Make some crap. Give yourself permission to create lousy work. Perfectionism is one of creativity’s worst enemies.
• Set smaller goals. Instead of finishing that chapter, just work on one scene. Get five lines of dialogue down instead of the whole argument. Sometimes you’re just overwhelming yourself by setting goals that are too large.
• Fake it. Pretend you know exactly what you’re doing and just dive into your project. Remember that old saying: “Fake it until you make it.” Once you give up your fear of failing, your creativity can come up with some remarkable results. Just start writing and see where you end up.
• Constrain yourself. Try some new rules. Write only in ten-word sentences, or use no adjectives at all, or even write in all capital letters. Forcing yourself to come up with new ways to accomplish your task stimulates your creativity.
• Do the opposite. Try going at it ass-backwards instead. If you’re trying to show your character as a sweet, lovable guy, try letting him be a braggart instead. Write that scene as a dialogue instead of a description. Use the opposite of the word you thought you’d use and see what happens.
• Copy someone else. If all else fails, try jump-starting your creativity by copying an author you admire. You can take this literally and copy out the first chapter of your favorite novel, or you can write in the style of that author, or even use your own characters in a favorite scene. It’s only plagiarism if you try to claim it as your own!

What are your favorite creativity-boosting techniques?