http://michellerafter.com/2008/07/30/long-walks-hot-showers-and-aha-moments/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed Freelancing in the Digital Age Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:10:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://michellerafter.com/2008/07/30/long-walks-hot-showers-and-aha-moments/comment-page-1/#comment-472 Drano for writers: 10 tricks to get the words flowing again « WordCount – Freelancing in the Digital Age Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:59:20 +0000 http://michellerafter.wordpress.com/?p=374#comment-472 [...] 8. Keep a notebook and pen by your bed, or in your car, in your backpack or purse. Inevitably just as you’re drifting off to sleep, or in the grocery store checkout line or picking up daughter from soccer practice the lead, nut graph or conclusion you’ve been struggling with will pop into your head. [...] [...] 8. Keep a notebook and pen by your bed, or in your car, in your backpack or purse. Inevitably just as you’re drifting off to sleep, or in the grocery store checkout line or picking up daughter from soccer practice the lead, nut graph or conclusion you’ve been struggling with will pop into your head. [...]

]]> http://michellerafter.com/2008/07/30/long-walks-hot-showers-and-aha-moments/comment-page-1/#comment-471 5 reasons why freelancers need to take vacations « WordCount/by Michelle Vranizan Rafter Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:27:05 +0000 http://michellerafter.wordpress.com/?p=374#comment-471 [...] 2. In the thick of work, it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees. This thought occurred to me as I was literally walking through a forest, staring up at the Douglas firs and cedars in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae of a daily routine and ignore the big picture of where your writing business is headed. Stepping away from it all for a bit can give you time to examine how satisfied you are with where your writing business is headed, and brainstorm ideas for moving it in new directions. 3. Experiencing new places, meeting new people and trying new things can generate ideas for stories. I’m not talking about travel pieces here. Different surroundings can sometimes have that “aha” effect on your brain that helps you come up with new ideas or inspirations, like Jonah Lehrer wrote about in his recent article in The New Yorker, The Eureka Hunt. [...] [...] 2. In the thick of work, it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees. This thought occurred to me as I was literally walking through a forest, staring up at the Douglas firs and cedars in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae of a daily routine and ignore the big picture of where your writing business is headed. Stepping away from it all for a bit can give you time to examine how satisfied you are with where your writing business is headed, and brainstorm ideas for moving it in new directions. 3. Experiencing new places, meeting new people and trying new things can generate ideas for stories. I’m not talking about travel pieces here. Different surroundings can sometimes have that “aha” effect on your brain that helps you come up with new ideas or inspirations, like Jonah Lehrer wrote about in his recent article in The New Yorker, The Eureka Hunt. [...]

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