Play On!

Our sense of playfulness can decline as we grow older, but it is essential to our overall wellbeing and creativity. In fact the most spiritual people have a light-hearted, joyful and childlike quality about them and are truly open to the wonder of life.

When you are playful in what you do, everything flows. This also applies to your writing. Playfulness opens up your creativity, makes you more spontaneous, helps banish your inner critic and often takes you down an unknown road, which is full of possibilities. It allows you to tell your real, authentic story, rather than the one you think you ought to be writing.

Here are some ways to rekindle that in your writing:

A great way to have some fun with words is with Mad Libs (a play on ad lib, from Latin ad libitum - as you wish) a word game where one player asks another for a list of words (nouns, adjectives, verbs etc) to substitute for blanks in a story. When the story is then read aloud it is usually a funny one. An American friend of mine introduced me to these many years ago at 3am during a sleepover party. I thought they were so cool and still do! Have a go and if you get hooked you can buy them on Amazon.

If you are struggling to start your book or to begin a new chapter, ask a close friend to write the first line or paragraph. The chances are that you’ll disagree with it or simply have a different idea; either way you’ll be up and running!

If you like a challenge when it comes to word games, then this Oxford Dictionary website has a veritable smorgasbord for you to try.

Words can educate, inspire and comfort, but very importantly they can also make us laugh. Check out Dr Seuss, Edward Lear or any other book that has really made you laugh out loud.

If you’re not in the mood for words, then how about pictures? I came across this delightful website some time ago on one of Dan Millman’s blog posts. It allows you to become a creative painter in the vein of Jackson Pollock. With each mouse click you’ll paint a different colour. Simply let go, have fun and see what you create. Enjoy!