VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

It's said that a problem or premise can be viewed from two distinctive points of view -- the observer viewpoint and the merged viewpoint. Today's creativity method focuses on the second viewpoint. The merged viewpoint occurs when you become the object of the observation. You become the subject of your observation, and you observe from the point of view of your subject. This is referred to as projective identification. Projective identification can be purely fantasy: What's it like to be a potato about to become French fries? How does it feel like to be a gum stuck in a shoe? Imagine what it's like to be an ink cartridge. Or it can be empathetic: Seeing the situation through a laborer's eyes Getting inside the skin of an AIDS victim Being in the shoes of a chronically depressed person For your creative activity today, write 2 short texts (100-200 words) using projective identification for the following: Fantasy: What's it like to be a pict...

Journaling Topics -- They're All Around You! Do you ever sit down with your journal and find yourself fresh out of ideas to write about? Virtually anything can be a journaling topic. If you are finding it hard to think of something to write about, here are some ideas that might get those creative juices flowing for you. Pithy sayings A never-ending source of ideas to write about are the wise words of others. You can find these statements anywhere. If you read the Bible or other inspirational literature every day, choose a statement, paragraph, or thought from your day's reading, and expound on it. What does it mean to you? How could you apply it in your own life? What changes might be required? What improvements might you see in your own situation if you applied the wisdom in the pithy saying to your own choices?   Nature Are you near a window? A view to the outdoors can provide a myriad of writing possibilities. Even if all you can see is the sky, look for words ...

If you've ever struggled in coming up with creative ideas, welcome to the club. For most writers, discovering new writing projects involves conscious pursuit of their thought trails. But where do we start on our quest for inspiration? Here are a few places you can find new ideas for writing. 1. The world around you. Just like a photographer, you must start looking at life through your own personal lens. You will get a tremendous amount of writing material if you start filtering your own experiences. Soon you will start noticing ideas everywhere around you. Very often the muse will come at strange times and from unusual sources, so be prepared. The world is full of surprises that can materialize in your next book or article. 2. Writers' associations and networks. If you are a professional writer, you probably belong to an association or writer's group. Generating new ideas will feel much easier after meeting other members or attending writing workshops and conferences. Y...

Brenda Ueland, author of If You Want to Write, said, "Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. When people really listen to each other in a quiet, fascinated attention, the creative fountain inside each of us begins to spring and cast up new thoughts and unexpected wisdom." The most meaningful works -- books, paintings, sculptures, songs, crafts, a garden, anything -- are created by those who have learned the art of listening: listening to their hearts and to the hearts of others. It is when we listen that the most extraordinary seeds grow and become tangible. They become a motivating book, an awe-inspiring painting, a formidable sculpture, a most melodious song, a bouquet of breathtaking blooms. It is when we listen that we create tangible expressions of our compassion, understanding, love. It is when we listen that stories, poems or books begin percolating inside us. And it is when we listen that the unexpected wisdom and insights joyously leap in ...

There are many different methods to get and collect ideas. Every writer has their way of coming up with ideas, but where do these ideas come from? James Patterson says, "The more you know about, the more likely you are to combine things to make an idea that’s striking." I found this to be a fascinating thought as many of my ideas come from my life as I have moved more times than my age. I have experienced many things for only being 40 years old. Yep, I just told you how old I am. However, my ideas don't only come from my experiences in life. I also talk to and ask questions of loved ones, family members, friends, etc. For example, my first published short story was inspired by my dad's childhood. I took three different stories from his youth to write the short story "Flying Upside Down" for the former Fandangle Magazine (see below), which was later republished in Stories for Children Magazine. Story ideas can come from other sources too like a wr...

Join Virginia S Grenier and Marsha Casper Cook on Monday March 11at 2PM EST 1 PM CSTfor a special World OF Ink show. This week their special guest is Award-winning Performer Doreen Taylor, who was recently chosen by the National Parks Conseration to write a song for thier very prestigious Salute in Washington D.C. With hits such as "Judgment Day" off her breakout, debut country solo album "Magic," Doreen's music has been touted as a "blend of the late 80s to early 90s slow pace country with a touch of the bad-ass girl music that is popular today" by All American Country Music! With a Masters in Opera Performance, Taylor has played numerous leading roles in various companies on and off Broadway and released three albums before taking the jump into country music. Doreen's music videos, "Last call (for Alcohol)," "Heartbeat" and "Summertime" landed on the 'Top 100 Country Official Music Videos of th...

  I have been working over the last few months, along with my co-chair David W. Smith, on the relaunch of the St. George Book Festival. It's been a lot of work and I've enjoyed every minute of it. I have been interviewed, quoted, etc. ever since October hit and as the week came closer to the big event (Oct. 14-19, 2013). What I didn't expect was making the front page as the lead story in my local paper.  You can imagine the shock and surprise I felt as I walked into the ballroom of the Lexington Hotel on Saturday October 19th for the final and biggest event of the book festival week...the Book Expo where we had over 30 authors there to talk, sell an autograph their books for Washington County, Utah community for free, to see many of the authors holding up the front page of The Spectrum where I was not only the lead story but also half the page had this picture above printed with it.  I don't think we are ever prepared to see ourselves in the spotlight as an a...

Instead of the usual article, here are 31 story sparkers you can try out over the next several days. Have fun! First Lines Use these to start your story. 1. It was a gift her mother gave her on her eighteenth birthday. 2. The door slammed with finality. 3. Alice tried to remember who had given her the key. Cliche Starters Use these cliches to spark a story. 4. burn the midnight oil 5. bed and board 6. an idle mind is the devil's playground 7. the raw end of the deal 8. keep your fingers crossed Random Story Words Use each set of words in your story. 9. lab instructor, computer, garden, spinach 10. painter, cooking oil, hallway, cake 11. prisoner, ruler, stairwell, running shoes 12. flight attendant, torn page, river, cookie jar 13. security guard, broccoli, kitchen, hat Quick Prompts Use these to jumpstart your writing. 14. Write about how a first kiss should feel like. 15. What do you usually do on Sunday? 16. Write about what you'd cook for an enem...

What time of day do you write best or are most productive? Here are some tips to help you determine when your best time to write: What's your writing power? How long can you write without draining yourself? Are you able to write more when you write for two hours each day without taking a break or do you find that you're able to churn out a good article or finish a chapter in your novel if you write for say, four one-hour periods with three fifteen-minute breaks? What's your alert level? This is simply determining what time of day your mind is most creative, imaginative and alert. Is it in the morning? mid-morning? afternoon? mid-afternoon? middle of the night? What are your distractions? If you're a mom with kids to take care of, when's the best time that you can write? When they're at school? When the kids are napping or watching TV? If you're still single, when can you write without being distracted by family obligations or work? Pick ...

It's said that a problem or premise can be viewed from two distinctive points of view -- the observer viewpoint and the merged viewpoint. Today's creativity method focuses on the second viewpoint. The merged viewpoint occurs when you become the object of the observation. You become the subject of your observation, and you observe from the point of view of your subject. This is referred to as projective identification. Projective identification can be purely fantasy: What's it like to be a potato about to become French fries? How does it feel like to be a gum stuck in a shoe? Imagine what it's like to be an ink cartridge. Or it can be empathetic: Seeing the situation through a laborer's eyes Getting inside the skin of an AIDS victim Being in the shoes of a chronically depressed person For your creative activity today, write 2 short texts (100-200 words) using projective identification for the following: Fantasy: What's it like to be a picture frame...

If you've ever struggled in coming up with creative ideas, welcome to the club. For most writers, discovering new writing projects involves conscious pursuit of their thought trails. But where do start on our quest for inspiration? Here are a few places you can find new ideas for writing: 1. The world around you. Just like a photographer, you must start looking at life through your own personal lens. You will get a tremendous amount of writing material if you start filtering your own experiences. Soon you will start noticing ideas everywhere around you. Very often the muse will come at strange times and from unusual sources, so be prepared. The world is full of surprises that can materialize in your next book or article. 2. Writers’ associations and networks. If you are a professional writer, you probably belong to an association or writer's group. Generating new ideas will feel much easier after meeting other members or attending writing workshops and conferences. You ...

This is something I need to be better about myself. I hope you all enjoy this guest post. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Writing in a journal every day takes discipline. There is no better way to learn the nuts and bolts of good writing, however. Daily journal writing not only helps you unwind and figure out your feelings, it also gives you that practice time needed to become a skilled writer. So how do you start this habit of daily journaling? First, consider whether you are a morning person or a night owl. The morning person wakes with a clear, lively mind that is just bursting to get on paper. Taking a half hour or so in the morning to clarify thoughts and express yourself can be very rewarding. For the night owl, though, things unfold more slowly. If this is you, you'll probably want to schedule your daily journaling time right before you go to bed, as a way to unwind. The time of day that you are at your creative best is important if you want your ideas to flow freely. If morning hours...