Mind Games

Have you ever noticed how people play mind games? Everyone does. I think writers are the best players in the world. Creating stories and characters takes a lot of brain power. We psyche ourselves up, nurture and feed our Muse, depend on subliminal messages, rely on our imaginations, try to silence our internal editors, use affirmations and think up numerous reasons why not to write.

Brainstorming is a favorite mind game among writers and can be played alone or in groups. We use our imaginations and ask ourselves “what if.” What if this happened? What about this? What would be the next logical step in this sequence of events? Or the consequence of this action? How would my heroine react to this? Why did my hero do that?

We writers use both our conscious and subconscious brains to create stories. We get ideas from stimuli outside of ourselves as well as deep inside our psyche. Some of us consciously sit down and plot out what’s going to happen as our story progresses. Others do it instinctively or by the seat of their pants. All of us input data and hand it over to the subconscious mind. In the primordial depths of our intellect, this data swirls and mixes. Our subconscious brain is always working. While we busy ourselves with work, play, mindless tasks and even as we sleep, characters are fleshed out, plot points and twists are solved, black moments become clear and resolutions are finalized.

It never ceases to amaze me how we writers use mind games to force ourselves to sit at the computer and write. There’s book-in-a-month, book-in-a-week, elaborate reward systems, set timers, online support groups—you name it, some writer is doing it just to get the words on the page. We blame the Muse, procrastinate, clean house, run errands, anything to keep from doing what we love and need to do—write and create stories.

Think about it. We love writing. Or maybe we love to have written. So do whatever it takes. Play whatever mind game works for you. Whatever you do, get in the game.

Happy Writing!!! Anne Marie 🙂

About AnneMarie

I enjoy writing old-fashioned romance with a whole lot of sizzle ~~~ Favorite Books: All of Georgette Heyer's wonderful Regency Romances; Gone With the Wind; The Little House Books; Harry Potter; Anne of Green Gables; This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips ~~~ Favorite Movies: Return to Me; An Affair to Remember; Sebrina (newer version); Sarah Plain and Tall; Roman Holiday; Pretty Woman ~~~ Favorite Music: Moody Blues, Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Jim Croce, Elton John, Seals & Crofts, Chicago, John Denver ~~~ Favorite Quotation: "Love Conquers All" ~~~~ AnneMarie Trivia: I love hummingbirds :) ~~~~ ABOUT MY LONE STAR ROMANCES: When people think of Texas, they usually think about cowboys, ranches and horses. But Texas is more than that. It’s not just a place; it’s an attitude, a state of mind. Everything is bigger and better in Texas, or so it seems to those of us living here. My favorite kind of hero is tall, dark and Texan. Whether a rugged sexy cowboy or a single-dad teaching at the local high school, these heroes are strong men waiting for strong women to call their own—no matter how hard they fight it, no matter how loudly they deny it. I hope you enjoy reading about my Lone Star Heroes and the women they fall in love with. There are those who say life’s too short not to live it as a Texan. I say LIFE'S TOO SHORT NOT TO LOVE A TEXAN!!! Happy Reading!!!
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