Ivy, from Seattle, WA, asks, “What’s the best way to get ideas?”
Well, Ivy, you are in luck. Just today a friend directed my attention to an article in, of all things, the April 21, 2014 Journal of Experimental Psychology. It concerned the effects of walking on creative thinking. After doing any number of experiments, four researchers concluded that, “Walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and it is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing creativity and increasing physical activity.”
In other words, if you are sitting at your desk, and cannot think of another word to write, then get up and take a hike.
Please note: this is not something taught in writing classes.
Nevertheless, as the article itself suggests, one needs to “Give your ideas some legs.”
2 thoughts on “Best way to get ideas”
Thanks, Avi, for the motivation to get up from the keyboard (or pad of paper notebook) and do some thinking while on the move. I have found this strategy useful often. It made sense. Now, Science concurs. 🙂
I get so many ideas when I am driving, alone, on country roads where traffic is not a distraction. Trouble is, it’s not easy to jot them down! I keep a pad on the seat and jot down key words, but it never comes back as strong as it was originally when it hit me!