Friday, June 10, 2011

29 Ways to a Meme

OK, I admit it, I stole this from Paperback Writer , but I kind of liked it, so here goes....here are 29 ways to be creative....

1. Make lists.
2. Carry a notebook everywhere.
3. Try free writing.
4. Get away from the computer.
5. Quit beating yourself up.
6. Take breaks.
7. Sing in the shower.
8. Drink coffee.
9. Listen to new music.
10.Be open.
11. Surround yourself with creative people.
12.Get feedback.
13.Collaborate.
14.Don't give up.
15.Practice, practice, practice.
16.Allow yourself to make mistakes.
17.Go somewhere new.
18.Count your blessings.
19.Get lots of rest.
20.Take risks.
21.Break the rules.
22.Don't force it.
23.Read a page of the dictionary.
24.Create a framework.
25.Stop trying to be someone else's perfect.
26.Got an idea? Write it down.
27.Clean your workspace.
28.Have fun.
29.Finish something.


Paperback writer says that Facebook and Twitter kind of killed the meme, but also suggests that if you're looking for something to blog about, copy the list, bold the items on the list that you're already doing, cross off the ones that don't work for you, and star the ones you'd like to try. Here's my meme version of the list - which I've added some comments to (in italics) ...for both your and my amusement:


1. Make lists. (...and oh boy do I do lists...!)
2. Carry a notebook everywhere. (How else am I going to write all those lists?)
3. Try free writing. (Only because I don't know what it means...)
4. Get away from the computer.*
(Actually, I'm not so sure about trying this...I love my computer really)
5. Quit beating yourself up. *(I'd truly love to be good at this)
6. Take breaks.*(and this)
7. Sing in the shower. (but only if there's no one around to hear!)
8. Drink coffee. (...by the bucket...)
9. Listen to new music.
(I love to do this - it's how I discovered Green Day, Nickelback, 3
Doors Down, Shinedown, Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse & Beethoven)

10.Be open. * (Isn't this a depends who with question?)
11. Surround yourself with creative people. (Gosh - you'd have to ask them...)
12.Get feedback. (Although if it's the BMB I don't always welcome it -Lol!)
13.Collaborate. (Hubby & the BMB probably see the best of me in this...)
14.Don't give up. (Just about everyone sees this in me...)
15.Practice, practice, practice. (...and this...)
16.Allow yourself to make mistakes. * (Jeez, I'm useless at this...and I know it!)
17.Go somewhere new. (I always like to do this)
18.Count your blessings. (I like to do this too!)
19.Get lots of rest.* (However hard I try, life conspires against me....)
20.Take risks.
(Just find this too scary financially - otherwise, well you tell me if I do...? I
mean, I haven't been on a big roller coaster since I had my back fused...)

21.Break the rules. (Well, I did when I was young....!)
22.Don't force it.
(This doesn't really apply, I only blog when I want to - I don't have a target timescale after all)
23.Read a page of the dictionary.
(Not done this for inspiration, just because I don't understand....)
24.Create a framework. (Well, it's just another kind of list, isn't it?)
25.Stop trying to be someone else's perfect.
(is that perfect or prefect? That's back to breaking the rules, I never was a good enough kid to be a prefect!)
26.Got an idea? Write it down. (Well, it's just another kind of list, isn't it?)
27.Clean your workspace.* (It's on my list...)
28.Have fun. (You only have to read my blog...)!
29.Finish something. (This!)

 
Although this meme is obviously aimed at writers, I feel that it could equally apply to lots of
things in life. Some of them I'm relating to my blogging, others to, well, other things in my
life. I'm sure that those of you who know me well will smile wryly at some of them, laugh at
others and hopefully just go Oh! at some of the rest. Please enjoy and feel free to
steal....just like I did !