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You’re ready to create what’s inside you. Finally, you’re at a place where you can devote yourself to your creativity.

At Original Impulse, you’ve found a safe haven to dedicate yourself to projects that matter to you. Through online workshops, creativity retreats, our long-term creativity apprenticeship and customized one:one coaching, we are here to make writing a fun and vibrant part of your life.

Be sure to subscribe to Impulses to unlock your creative genius right away.

Get my popular book, The Busy Woman's Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book and start writing your book today.

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Bookish Gluttony and Enabling Libraries

When I was a girl, my mom would drop me off at the library and head out on other errands. I’d scamper inside and immediately become absorbed in all the possibilities. Which books would I take home this week?

Thirty minutes later, I’d meet my mom at the car with a giant stack. On the way home, I’d feel rich and full and eager all at the same time.

Is there anything better than being an imaginative child and having free rein in a library, with your own card and everything?

Yes. Being an adult in a library with free rein to check out any books, movies and magazines you desire.
Here’s the truth: I am a wanton library user. Oh, library, how you’ve enabled my bookish gluttony. [Read more…] about Bookish Gluttony and Enabling Libraries

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Monday Writing Accountability: What's on Your Writing Agenda This Week?

Monday! Fresh start to a new week. (Rubbing hands together in glee but also, well, it’s cold here in Colorado.)
Tell me, what will you write this week? Perhaps it’s a blog post or an essay. Or maybe that proposal or…the text for your new web site.
Choose the ONE thing that is a bit of a challenge for you. Yes, the thing you are avoiding. Tell us in a comment below what your writing focus for the week will be.
If you like weekly accountability but know that daily support is really what you need, keep reading. I’m offering insanely affordable daily support for writers in February.
[Read more…] about Monday Writing Accountability: What's on Your Writing Agenda This Week?

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Forget goals; invest in practices for creative satisfaction

How do you get everything done? Writing, art making, coaching, teaching – just a few of the roles I juggle. I’m sure you’ve got as many or more roles you play. We’re all trying to squeeze more into every day. How do I get things done?
It’s a constant adjustment process of my work flow. In fact, it’s the problem we seek to solve at Original Impulse: how do we get our best creative work done despite everything that conspires against us?
I’m always looking for the right combination to fend off distraction, OPA and decision swirl. I want to focus on things that matter to me, that challenge me, and that serve to inspire others’ creative dynamism.
So, rather than set big goals for 2015, I’m trying a new schedule. My hope is that new structure makes it easier to do what I love. Here’s what I’m experimenting with: [Read more…] about Forget goals; invest in practices for creative satisfaction

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Let's savor our writing this week

Hello lovelies!
It’s Monday again, another fresh start for our writing week. Let’s not dread our writing tasks. Instead, let’s savor the writing we are privileged to do.
What ONE thing will be your primary focus for your writing? What writing will you savor this week, even if it’s just savoring that it’s done? 
Share your main writing focus in a comment below. If you’re ready to savor your writing even more this year, read on. [Read more…] about Let's savor our writing this week

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Writing accountability: What is your creative edge for 2015?

I’m sure you’ve got your word of the year. Goody. It’s nice to have a guiding principle.

Now, what are you going to make happen in 2015? 

I’ve seen that we glean the most satisfaction and actualization when we specify a creative edge for the year. When we dedicate ourselves to a very specific phase of the creative process and dig down deep.

Look at the following four creative edges in the writing process below. If you were to focus on one, which would give you the most satisfaction this year?  [Read more…] about Writing accountability: What is your creative edge for 2015?

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My wish for your 2015

Don’t Go Big!
Don’t Be Bold!
Don’t Dream!
Instead, this year, try this:
Love yourself more than
you ever knew possible.
Love yourself daily,
fiercely, as if you’re
the best damn thing
that ever showed up
in your life.
Let this love glow and grow
from the inside out
until you almost can’t stand the joy
then love yourself up
some more.
Let this love infuse everything you make
with the unmistakable pulse
of your singular Soul.
Let your brilliance emerge fully
from this love of your life,
of your talents,
of your self.
Watch with giddy joy
as this love-doused work
meets the needs and desires
of those who have been waiting
to know it’s safe
to love this much.
Greet them as they gather close
to say YES! to your gifts
YES! to your loving self
YES! to the unmistakable joy of
you being you
you being brilliant
you being love.

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Three Gifts for Bookish Types

If I were the book fairy giving out books this year, here’s what I would want everyone to have:
2014books
The Lotus and the Lily by Janet Conner I already recommended this, but now that I have completed the process, I am blown away. The book invites readers to create a mandala at the end of the process. I cannot tell you how potent that was for me. I am deeply moved by what emerged. I cannot wait to see how it all plays out in 2015!
Whatever You Are, Be a Good One by Lisa Congdon  This is a great gift book for yourself or anyone in your life. My favorite illustrator Lisa Congdon hand lettered quotations by famous people for her blog. Chronicle Books made it into a lovely book.
Finally, because everyone needs a good notebook, check out Moleskine’s Dotted Notebook! At the art store the other day, I spotted this from a distance and knew I needed it. It’s got a dot grid pattern on the pages, which I love. I will be using this notebook to plot my big creative project next year.
What’s your short stack of books that you would give this year? Three bookish items. Share your three favorite gift books in a comment below.

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Writing Accountability: What Will You Write This Week?

Hello lovelies!
It’s Monday again, another fresh start for our writing week.
What ONE thing will be your primary focus for your writing? I know you have several things on your writing list (lucky you!) I ask for one thing because, well, I don’t want to get overwhelmed.
I also know that when we have a main or primary focus, it’s easier to make sure we make progress on that item. Sure, you will probably make progress on all your items, but what ONE project feels most important to you this week?
Share your main writing focus in a comment below.

Holiday hours

I’m heading off-grid later this week. I’ll be doing my annual retreat for reviewing and planning the year. So you may not hear from me until early 2015. I look forward to sharing lots of creative joy with you in 2015 and beyond!

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Let us shine in an undeniable constellation of creative joy

Years ago, in a session with my first coach, we were envisioning my version of success. This included working with great clients, teaching, speaking and being known for my own writing.
I relished the idea of these surface wins, and as a good coach does, she asked me to drill down to a deeper motivation about why I want to help people. I thought about it. I saw me shining brightly and having a great time. But my vision wasn’t just me sparkling high in the sky far away from others.
My version of a happy life includes my success and the success of others. If I were the only one having a good time, that wouldn’t be much of a party, would it? It became clear to me why I invest my time and energy in those around me – I want us all to shine in an undeniable constellation of creative joy.
My mission at Original Impulse is to help creative people get out of their own way so they can do their work and enjoy their talents.
[Read more…] about Let us shine in an undeniable constellation of creative joy

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Hop, Skip, Jump! What's Your Play Personality?

Hop Skip Jump_cvr.inddI’m inspired by the spunky new guide by creativity maven Marney Makridakis: HOP, SKIP, JUMP: 75 Ways to Playfully Manifest a Meaningful Life.
Find out if you are a Hopper, Skipper or Jumper: take this fun quiz.
When you’ve taken the quiz, come back here and let us know which one you are. Feel free to share a bit about what you learned from knowing your Play Personality. (I’m mainly a Jumper!)
We’ll choose one commenter to win a copy of Marney’s book HOP, SKIP, JUMP: 75 Ways to Playfully Manifest a Meaningful Life.
[Read more…] about Hop, Skip, Jump! What's Your Play Personality?

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Make Your Creative Time More Effective

You’re in the middle of writing the most fabulous paragraph when the phone rings. It’s your child’s school and you’ve forgotten to pick her up.
You leap up, caroming from blissful creative mode to full-on panic mode. You rush out the door, the cursor on your screen blinking, your creative bliss lost.
Sound familiar? This wrenching transition style happens all too often. We lose track of time and pay the cost. We become grumpy, resentful and our desire to write dissipates. It’s one of the main reasons we fear entering the creative zone. We’re afraid we won’t be able to make a graceful return to the ordinary world where our real-world obligations await us.
It doesn’t have to be wrenching. Transitions between life and writing can be easy. But it requires some effort and some training on our part to make transitioning between our roles work for us.
How can writers and artists make the transition smooth and easy? I suggest ritualized acts help to honor the creative time. Below are ten transition methods that my clients have used successfully. Experiment to see which rituals work for you. [Read more…] about Make Your Creative Time More Effective

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Get your writing moving, no matter what

People often ask me what they can use free-writing for. In  my experience, it’s great for every kind of personal or professional writing imaginable – for the first draft at least.
This week, I brainstormed 20 ways you can use free-writing now, even if you don’t consider yourself a writer. Best of all, free-writing is a great way to just. get. started.
Check all the ways you see free-writing as useful for you now. This will help you to identify how you can use writing now to enjoy your life and creativity more.
[Read more…] about Get your writing moving, no matter what

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Is Your Consumption/Creation Ratio Out of Whack?

by Cynthia Morris
This article originally appeared on Fuel Your Writing. It’s such an important topic that surfaces again and again, so we’re sharing it here. 

These days, it seems that if you’re not consuming something – videos, podcasts, blog posts, books, magazines, films, social media streams – then you’re probably asleep.

There’s so much good stuff out there and many of us feel compelled to keep up at a dizzying rate. My clients and students confess that their biggest challenge is finding time to create. Everyone’s busy and overbooked.
[Read more…] about Is Your Consumption/Creation Ratio Out of Whack?

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Book Review: The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau

Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity comes out with his third book, The Happiness of Pursuit. This book is all about finding meaning through engaging in quests that matter – first to the quester, then to the world.
Watch the video for more.

I’m giving away several copies of The Happiness of Pursuit here. By Monday September 22nd, please leave a comment below answering this question:
What quest are you on right now and what’s important about it for you? 

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What books are in your beach bag this summer?

On my recent birthday trip, I had zoomed past the beach turn-off, and slamming on the brakes, took a quick turn into the next place. Guess what? I had come upon a little bookstore, Titcombs Bookshop in Sandwich, MA. Of course I had to delay the beach for books!
Inside, the tiny shop was full of people browsing. I was delighted to see so many people getting books for their beach jaunts.
I try to buy something from every independent bookstore I visit, so this time I picked up The Quotable Book Lover, edited by Ben Jacobs and Helene Hjalmarsson.
I opened it at random and found the perfect quotation to share with you today. It’s so true for me, it made me laugh out loud.

“There are two motives for reading a book: one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.” Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happiness, 1930

The perfect setting for a bookish afternoon.
The perfect setting for a bookish afternoon.

Recent reads (all novels this time) I’ll boast about:
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple – Weirdo or genius? I am sure many of us will relate to Bernadette in this book.
My Wish List by Gregoire Delacourt – A short, sweet and deep book about how winning the lottery could change everything, but not how you imagine.
Loving Frank – Nancy Horan – a great historical novel about Frank Lloyd Wright and the love of his life, Mamah Borthwick.
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker – A sweet and lyrical novel set in Burma.
Current fiction reads include:
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Lovers at the Chameleon Club by Francine Prose
What books are in your beach bag? Boast away in a comment below.