Creating in Flow

Susan K. Perry, Ph.D. is a social psychologist, writer, and writing consultant. Among her books are Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity. See full bio

Creating in Flow

February 7, 2010

7 Ways to Stretch Time

Drop down into a flow state, where your mind is so absorbed by what you're doing that time seems to stop. The clock will catch up with you later, of course, but meanwhile you won't feel constrained by its mocking tick-tock. Here are additional ways to free your creative mind from the confines of time.... Read More

January 24, 2010

Only a Story? Not If Your Brain Has Its Way

Read or watch a story, and your brain plays tricks on you. You know the action isn't really happening, but your brain takes liberties precisely because of that. ... Read More

January 18, 2010

Are Engineers Creative Like We Are?

Engineers are a specialized breed of scientist. They do not all think alike, nor do any of them think quite like I (and you?) do. But we are occasionally capable of managing cross-species communication. That's why I want to share, in this post, the results of studies ... Read More

January 10, 2010

God, Pro & Con: And We Have a Winner!

Does God exist? Should you be the first to say "I love you"? Big ideas may overwhelm the human aspects of a novel, but one author who masterfully combines them is Rebecca Newberger Goldstein. In her new book, 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction, the Princeton-educated, genius-award-winning philosopher, currently at Harvard, nimbly manipulates her characters' relationship struggles, their beliefs about religion and human consciousness, and more. I asked her ...

December 28, 2009

6 Ways to Say NO! and Get More Done

Putting yourself second - or last - can sap your energy and interrupt your creative flow. Do you often hear requests to do just "this one small thing"? No wonder you don't get as much done in a day as you'd like. You can learn to say NO in a pleasant and appropriate way... Read More

December 19, 2009

The Comic (?) Side of Evolution

You might not expect a scientist's creativity to show up in the form of playfulness, at least not in his "serious" nonfiction books. Yet the humanity, creativity, and sense of humor of Richard Dawkins shine through nearly every page of his work. His latest book is delightful... Read More

December 13, 2009

Is Pot Saner Than Booze?

The concept of creative collaboration fascinates me. As my home state's marijuana policies have been making my head spin (without drugs!), I chose to interview one of the three authors of Marijuana is Safer - So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? We talked about the logistics of collaborating on such a "controversial" book and getting it published... Read More

December 6, 2009

Can Daydreams-to-Order Unlock Your Creativity?

Natural imagery exercises unblock writers and others who feel creatively stalled. And while I don't typically like people telling me what to imagine, daydreaming "to order" sounds like a useful strategy to add to the creativity cabinet... Read More

November 29, 2009

Does It Kill You to Contemplate Death?

While each of us has to face death, many insightful novelists use their characters to express their own views of mortality. Here are a few that resonated with me and may help you make your own peace with the Grim Reaper...

November 22, 2009

Stephen King. Bestseller. Potty Mouth.

Once you reach a certain level of fame, it seems the rules of "good" writing barely apply anymore. But if you're not Stephen King, you probably shouldn't rely on overusing "bad" words. Read More

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Even those of us not in explicitly creative fields must come up with new ideas and insights in order to move ahead. How can we shake up our thinking patterns?

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