Comments on: How to Focus Your Ideas: Series Introduction http://www.essentialprose.com/write-create/how-to-focus-your-ideas-series-introduction Creative, conscious living. Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:10:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Essential Prose | Zoë Westhof | A Hefty Dose of Moxie http://www.essentialprose.com/write-create/how-to-focus-your-ideas-series-introduction/comment-page-2#comment-1505 Essential Prose | Zoë Westhof | A Hefty Dose of Moxie Fri, 15 May 2009 04:54:47 +0000 http://www.zoewesthof.com/?p=306#comment-1505 [...] to Focus Your Ideas series: 1. Series Introduction 2. Idea Dumps: Letting It All Hang Out 3. Navigating the Idea Dump 4. A Hefty Dose of [...] [...] to Focus Your Ideas series: 1. Series Introduction 2. Idea Dumps: Letting It All Hang Out 3. Navigating the Idea Dump 4. A Hefty Dose of [...]

]]> By: Essential Prose | Zoë Westhof | Navigating the Idea Dump http://www.essentialprose.com/write-create/how-to-focus-your-ideas-series-introduction/comment-page-2#comment-1504 Essential Prose | Zoë Westhof | Navigating the Idea Dump Fri, 15 May 2009 04:53:52 +0000 http://www.zoewesthof.com/?p=306#comment-1504 [...] to Focus Your Ideas series: 1. Series Introduction 2. Idea Dumps: Letting It All Hang Out 3. Navigating the Idea Dump 4. A Hefty Dose of [...] [...] to Focus Your Ideas series: 1. Series Introduction 2. Idea Dumps: Letting It All Hang Out 3. Navigating the Idea Dump 4. A Hefty Dose of [...]

]]> By: Essential Prose | Zoë Westhof | Idea Dumps: Letting It All Hang Out http://www.essentialprose.com/write-create/how-to-focus-your-ideas-series-introduction/comment-page-2#comment-1503 Essential Prose | Zoë Westhof | Idea Dumps: Letting It All Hang Out Fri, 15 May 2009 04:52:43 +0000 http://www.zoewesthof.com/?p=306#comment-1503 [...] to Focus Your Ideas series: 1. Series Introduction 2. Idea Dumps: Letting It All Hang Out 3. Navigating the Idea Dump 4. A Hefty Dose of [...] [...] to Focus Your Ideas series: 1. Series Introduction 2. Idea Dumps: Letting It All Hang Out 3. Navigating the Idea Dump 4. A Hefty Dose of [...]

]]> By: Essential Prose | Zoë Westhof | Creating Time to Create http://www.essentialprose.com/write-create/how-to-focus-your-ideas-series-introduction/comment-page-2#comment-765 Essential Prose | Zoë Westhof | Creating Time to Create Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:04:22 +0000 http://www.zoewesthof.com/?p=306#comment-765 [...] I wrote my series on “How to Focus Your Ideas,” a lot of people were excited to try out idea dumps and mind maps, eager to coax their ideas onto [...] [...] I wrote my series on “How to Focus Your Ideas,” a lot of people were excited to try out idea dumps and mind maps, eager to coax their ideas onto [...]

]]> By: How to Focus Your Ideas « The Sky’s the Limit http://www.essentialprose.com/write-create/how-to-focus-your-ideas-series-introduction/comment-page-2#comment-545 How to Focus Your Ideas « The Sky’s the Limit Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:14:23 +0000 http://www.zoewesthof.com/?p=306#comment-545 [...] excellent blog series “How to Focus Your Ideas” teaches us that creativity dosen’t have to be chaotic mess. She takes us through the [...] [...] excellent blog series “How to Focus Your Ideas” teaches us that creativity dosen’t have to be chaotic mess. She takes us through the [...]

]]> By: If You're Wondering How I'm Spending My Time | TJ Hirst http://www.essentialprose.com/write-create/how-to-focus-your-ideas-series-introduction/comment-page-2#comment-523 If You're Wondering How I'm Spending My Time | TJ Hirst Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:46:21 +0000 http://www.zoewesthof.com/?p=306#comment-523 [...] me to another creative soul on the web, Zoë Westhof, and I’ve been following her series on How to Focus Your Ideas. I do this all the time with my nonfiction writing, but what I discovered was that I wasn’t [...] [...] me to another creative soul on the web, Zoë Westhof, and I’ve been following her series on How to Focus Your Ideas. I do this all the time with my nonfiction writing, but what I discovered was that I wasn’t [...]

]]> By: Zoë http://www.essentialprose.com/write-create/how-to-focus-your-ideas-series-introduction/comment-page-2#comment-421 Zoë Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:50:54 +0000 http://www.zoewesthof.com/?p=306#comment-421 @ Meg - Great -- it's all going to be so simple, but *hopefully* it'll work just as well for you as it does for me : ) @ Alex - I find that really impressive...I think most people have a hard time summoning their "muse." My issue is getting some oxygen to all my ideas, instead of losing them to the folds of my mind! @ Urban Panther - Wow, my very first blogging award! Coming from you, it's certainly an honor :-D. It seems that being overwhelmed by ideas is a common symptom. It sounds like an ideal scenario to have such a flood of ideas, but when they all just get lost in your crowded brain, it can be hard to really grab hold of them. @ Jody - I definitely agree. Sometimes I have to explain my idea to someone else in order for a new branch of ideas to come tumbling out. @ Danielle - I bet your mind maps would put mine to shame! @ Meg – Great — it’s all going to be so simple, but *hopefully* it’ll work just as well for you as it does for me : )

@ Alex – I find that really impressive…I think most people have a hard time summoning their “muse.” My issue is getting some oxygen to all my ideas, instead of losing them to the folds of my mind!

@ Urban Panther – Wow, my very first blogging award! Coming from you, it’s certainly an honor :-D .

It seems that being overwhelmed by ideas is a common symptom. It sounds like an ideal scenario to have such a flood of ideas, but when they all just get lost in your crowded brain, it can be hard to really grab hold of them.

@ Jody – I definitely agree. Sometimes I have to explain my idea to someone else in order for a new branch of ideas to come tumbling out.

@ Danielle – I bet your mind maps would put mine to shame!

]]> By: Danielle http://www.essentialprose.com/write-create/how-to-focus-your-ideas-series-introduction/comment-page-2#comment-420 Danielle Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:30:51 +0000 http://www.zoewesthof.com/?p=306#comment-420 OK; I skimmed through the comments and will go back and read through them more thoroughly AFTER I leave my comments (just don't want to be influenced by others views; so I apologize in advance if I have repeated someone:) I like to think of the creative process as someone mining for gold. My mind is this big creekbed and i go in there with my little shovel and sifter, dump stuff in there and start sifting through looking for those golden nuggets. Sometimes there are several of different sizes and I put those aside and come back to them later...other times it seems that I'm sifting, sifting, and not seeing any gold! As a special ed teacher, I can mind map and use graphic organizers like nobody's business; and find that they help me make a path to what I want to achieve. I like that you are trying to balance the "jump in" philosophy with somewhat of a plan...waiting on pins and needles for the next installment! OK; I skimmed through the comments and will go back and read through them more thoroughly AFTER I leave my comments (just don’t want to be influenced by others views; so I apologize in advance if I have repeated someone:)
I like to think of the creative process as someone mining for gold. My mind is this big creekbed and i go in there with my little shovel and sifter, dump stuff in there and start sifting through looking for those golden nuggets. Sometimes there are several of different sizes and I put those aside and come back to them later…other times it seems that I’m sifting, sifting, and not seeing any gold!
As a special ed teacher, I can mind map and use graphic organizers like nobody’s business; and find that they help me make a path to what I want to achieve. I like that you are trying to balance the “jump in” philosophy with somewhat of a plan…waiting on pins and needles for the next installment!

]]> By: Jody Whitesides http://www.essentialprose.com/write-create/how-to-focus-your-ideas-series-introduction/comment-page-2#comment-419 Jody Whitesides Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:04:51 +0000 http://www.zoewesthof.com/?p=306#comment-419 Creativity comes in different ways alright. Sometimes it's best to sit in solitude. Other times it really helps to have another person to bounce thoughts off of as they will think of things differently and in the process both persons ideas get whittled down to something greater than the individual. <abbr><em>Jody Whitesides´s last blog post..<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SingleOfTheDay/~3/447667707/" rel="nofollow">Slow burn</a></abbr></em> Creativity comes in different ways alright. Sometimes it’s best to sit in solitude. Other times it really helps to have another person to bounce thoughts off of as they will think of things differently and in the process both persons ideas get whittled down to something greater than the individual.

Jody Whitesides´s last blog post..Slow burn

]]> By: Urban Panther http://www.essentialprose.com/write-create/how-to-focus-your-ideas-series-introduction/comment-page-2#comment-418 Urban Panther Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:17:53 +0000 http://www.zoewesthof.com/?p=306#comment-418 I have different approaches for creativity depending on what I am doing. For example, for my photo-journals, I just start hauling out paints, stencils, photographs, card stocks, etc etc, and a page idea emerges. For fiction, I generally start with a photograph, or single word, then free associate ideas from there. Eventually, a story forms. I am going to have to get the Urbane Lion to read your series. Talk about Too Many Ideas! The man can't sleep at night from all his ideas! BTW, I have link-loved you today in my post with a blogging award. I am enjoying your posts, and I have encouraged others to come over and have a read. <abbr><em>Urban Panther´s last blog post..<a href="http://www.urbanpantherslair.com/2008/11/not-so-mundane-after-all.html" rel="nofollow">Not so mundane after all</a></abbr></em> I have different approaches for creativity depending on what I am doing. For example, for my photo-journals, I just start hauling out paints, stencils, photographs, card stocks, etc etc, and a page idea emerges. For fiction, I generally start with a photograph, or single word, then free associate ideas from there. Eventually, a story forms.

I am going to have to get the Urbane Lion to read your series. Talk about Too Many Ideas! The man can’t sleep at night from all his ideas!

BTW, I have link-loved you today in my post with a blogging award. I am enjoying your posts, and I have encouraged others to come over and have a read.

Urban Panther´s last blog post..Not so mundane after all

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