Utilizing the Subconscious in Creativity

The human mind is infinite. It has no mass and therefore has no boundaries, other than limits imposed upon it by the self. If the self will abandon these limits and open up the mind to all possibilities then there is nothing that cannot be achieved.

This is good news for the creative writer. It means that the writer's imagination can also be boundless and achieve anything.

Everything the writer has ever seen, read, heard or experienced is stored in the vast storehouse of his subconscious mind. It is probably stored in a haphazard fashion, rather like the way a computer stores data, if not instructed otherwise. Because of that, the majority of memories and information are not readily available to the conscious mind. This is obviously a good thing. We must forget to stay sane.

Therefore a limitless virtual library of ideas exists in the subconscious mind waiting to be exploited. How can the writer tap into this abundance?

One way is with visualisation. Visualisation is a tool that may only be used by open minds. A writer must try to visualise his success, visualise his book on the shelves at the bookshop; visualise book signings and winning awards. The more he visualises his success the more he persuades both his conscious mind and his subconscious to act to bring about these events.

The successful creative writer is one who is prepared to think outside the box and has utter faith in his own talent. That same faith will allow him to excavate his subconscious mind to find riches. To tap into your own virtual library of ideas one must use the imagination again. Try this exercise at night just before sleep.

Close your eyes and see in your mind's eye that you are standing before an elevator. The doors open and you step inside. The elevator rises and then stops. The doors open and you step out.

You find yourself in a vast space filled with storage shelves. You look ahead of you and see that the shelves form a corridor that goes off into infinity. Very shelf is crammed with document folders. You walk down this corridor until you come to a junction. If you turn your gaze either left or right more corridors of shelves branch off into the distance.

You know with certainty that in each of these millions of folders is an idea, all of them belonging to you. You need only reach up and take a folder from a shelf. Take down a folder at random and then another and another, as many as you want. You know without doubt that these ideas you have chosen will assist you when next you sit down to write. You turn and there is the elevator door again. You descend carrying your precious folders under your arm.

To help this exercise be more effective, couple it with exact instructions to your subconscious to work on your behalf as you sleep. It never sleeps, of course, and if not prompted to engage in certain tasks, will just idle over while you sleep; just passing you jumbled information in your dreams. Give it something specific to do.

When you have gathered your ideas folders from your virtual library, and just as you begin to drift into sleep, speak to your subconscious. You may consider this fanciful, but you and your subconscious are one. And if you are wise you will be in command of yourself.

Speak, out loud if need be, if you sleep alone. Silently, otherwise. Your instructions to your subconscious must be forcefully put. Demand that it pay attention. Issue the instructions something like this:

"Subconscious, listen to my instructions and obey. You will work on the ideas I have collected. When next I sit down to write you will see to it that words, phrases and ideas flow easily and without effort. Do you understand? Then get on with it."

Switch off then and sleep. There will not, of course, be a miraculous development when you wake, but when you sit to write you should feel a surge of mental energy. The more often you command your subconscious to assist you in your writing the stronger will be the results.

The subconscious mind is vast; its workings mysterious and fascinating. Be the master of your subconscious, and reap the rewards.

Jaci Gwyn is another name for the professional author Gwen Madoc, the author of twelve published novels of historical romance and family sagas. Gwen has an keen understanding of how to put a novel together and is very willing to pass her expert knowledge and experience on to aspiring writers.

http://www.AuthorsDen.com/gwenmadoc

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