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

September 20, 2009

Trust Craft More Than Inspiration

Losing track of time is one of the clearest hallmarks of creative flow. But don't let that fool you. Not everything you produce in such a fluid zone will please you once you're thinking "normally" again. So say many successful artists, including novelist Margot Livesey. Read more... Read More

September 14, 2009

3 New Facts About Creativity

You can never know everything there is to know about creativity, but if you're open to learning a few new facets about this misunderstood topic, read on. Read More

September 7, 2009

5 Writing Tips from Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don't say too much; don't say too little. That's what it takes today to be a very good writer. A hundred or so years ago, Emerson figured that out. First We Read, Then We Write: Emerson on the Creative Process collects and explores some of Ralph Waldo Emerson's best advice on how to write... Read More

August 25, 2009

Do You Live in the Past, Present, or Future?

How you perceive time influences your happiness today and all your tomorrows. Does that sound too soft or New-Agey? I think that's because we're being asked to peer deeply into areas of consciousness that we usually take for granted. But if you don't, you risk carrying on family traditions that often inhibit your full potential... Read More

August 4, 2009

Wasting Time or Finding Time?

Six books, one grand psychologically insightful literary adventure. Have you read Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time? I just did. Closing the last of the books felt like an accomplishment, as though all the shorter novels I've read all my life, novels of relatively superficial psychological depth, existed solely to prepare me for this challenge.... Read More

July 19, 2009

5 Keys to Unlock Your Creative Motivation

Motivation is a much more complex process than just "wanting" to do something. For sure, though, when you're working on a creative project and the going gets tough, if you're not motivated enough, you'll quit. And it always gets tough. Motivators can be combined to help you enter a flow state... Read More

June 27, 2009

11 Types of Bad Writing Advice

All advice is suspect. I'm not suggesting you break all the so-called rules of creativity you've collected. Only that every tip can be counteracted with its opposite. And some advice is just plain bad for you. Here, then, are 11 types of advice to avoid: Read More

June 18, 2009

Novelist Says Write for the Money

By trying to emulate the greats, you may find yourself blocked and your would-be publishers leery. So says Larry Beinhart, whose novel Wag the Dog was made into the popular movie starring Robert de Niro and Dustin Hoffman. He reveals details of his approach to writing, and why his latest novel, Salvation Boulevard, wasn't an easy sell. Read More

June 4, 2009

6 Ways to Think about Death

A friend of mine has been undergoing aggressive chemotherapy for an aggressive form of cancer, and so the subject of dying has been popping up frequently at my house. Among the many insights I've been gathering, the following six help me, an atheist, think about dying and death in ways I can live with, for now...

May 23, 2009

World-Class Violinist Flows into Fiction

Eugene Drucker performs 100 times a year with the Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet, of which he's a founding member. He's an active violin soloist, too. Yet away from the tuxedos and glittery ambience of high culture, Drucker reflected for long years on his father's experiences in 1930s Germany. The result was his first novel, The Savior. In our interview Drucker compared the two forms of self-expression...

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