One of my favorite questions, and the start of every story I write, has always been: what if?
It’s a delicious question, one that opens up worlds of opportunities. “What if?” has launched most of my real-life adventures, too.
Yesterday, I discovered another little phrase that is turning my thinking on its head.
“Yes, and—“
I stumbled upon “Yes, and-” in a Writer’s Digest guest newsletter by Elizabeth Sims, author of, You’ve Got a Book in You: The Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams. You can click here to read the full article.
The idea of “yes, and-” comes from improv theatre. To do improvisation well, participants need the right attitude, to be able to think outside the box. They need to welcome the odd, the unexpected, the outlandish and go with it. “Yes, and-” sets the stage for that kind of thinking. It doesn’t work with, “No, but-” or even, “Yes, but-.” Those phrases block new ideas.
Creativity only opens up and takes flight if we set it free. “Yes, and-” changes our mindset and readies us to see things differently, to explore uncharted territory.
Do you need to add that attitude, that phrase, into your creative life today?
Take a moment and think about your latest project. Instead of blocking ideas with negative thinking (no, but-), try using “yes, and-” instead.
Let me know what happens!
PS–For those of you eager for the results of last week’s survey on how we buy books, they are coming soon. I promise. I am busy compiling the results, but I’ve also been a very busy woman on the home front, gearing up for my parent’s 50th anniversary celebration this weekend! I hope you understand.
And if you know someone who says they don’t like Christian fiction, here’s a link to a wonderful review of Angel Fallsby someone who usually feels the same way. I’d be honored if you passed it along.
Till next time, think “yes, and—.”
Recent Comments