In this post, I explain how I create my creative works, from a new blog post to an original piano piece to a speech I’m preparing to give. Hopefully by the time you’re finished reading this post, you have a stronger idea of how to express your own ideas more fully. As you can tell, this post is immensely long, but incredibly detailed.

I’m not giving you the magic wand so you can make your ideas miraculously appear better with no effort. I’m giving you the instruction manual on how to make your ideas work for you. Especially in the blogosphere, there’s a growing problem with people having absolutely brilliant ideas but a really terrible time expressing said ideas. I’ve seen people think up the most insanely original ideas ever that nobody else has even thought of before, but when push came to shove, they couldn’t fully express those ideas in a form that that makes any sense.

I’m determined to fix that problem in this post. In this post, I explain six simple steps you can use to go from having a fluffy idea to a tangible product. My goal for you is to be able to take any creative idea that you have and turn it into a reality.

These six steps are fairly simple. First, you choose an idea that you like. Next, you pick a medium for your idea and you create an outline, shelling out that idea in full. Then you compose a full rough copy drawn from your outline; afterwords, you edit that copy as much as needed until you hit perfection. Last, you put the finishing touches on your final copy and you share your finished product with the world!

So what are we waiting for? Let’s dive into the first step!

1. Think of an idea.

For any creative projects to seriously take shape, you need to start with a fresh idea.

Ideas can come from anywhere. They can be suggested to you by other people. You can go around looking at other people’s various works, and think about what’s missing from their products. What didn’t other people create yet that you can present? What new flavor can you add to the mix? Ideas also can be found via inspiration, like taking a walk and simply thinking about various topics. (This is one of my personal favorite ways to create ideas for future blog posts.)

You’ll probably get lots of really bad ideas, but a couple of ideas you come up with will be golden. Take note of those golden ideas; those ideas are the ones you want to expand on.

I recently wrote on this blog about how to create brilliant ideas. You can read that post if you’re having a bit of trouble at this stage.

If you’re still having trouble creating ideas, just ask yourself these questions: What do you want to share with the world? If you were given a platform and could speak to a million people, how would you creatively express yourself? What would you want to say to all of them?

2. Pick a medium for your idea.

So you’ve come up with your amazing idea that’s going to change mankind. Fabulous! Now what do you do?

The next two steps require you to start fleshing out your idea. Now is the time you figure out what kind of medium you want your idea to reside in, and what kind of structure your idea is going to have. First, let’s discuss the aspect of the medium for your message:

A medium is a simply the format your idea is expressed in. For example, if you’re a personal development guru and you want to speak about productivity, what kind of format are you going to put your idea in? Are you going to write a detailed blog entry? Do you want to create a short eBook? Do you want to talk through your topic in a cleverly produced podcast?

Picking a medium can be tough. If you pick the wrong medium, it can totally backfire on you and cause your message to appear not as strong. If writing an eBook might be stretching out your idea way too thin, writing a simple blog entry could possibly be a much better fit. Speaking about a detailed topic through a video might leave the viewers confused if there are too many technical points; in this case, an organized eBook would work so much better. An uplifting story told through a blog post might not have the same emotional impact as if you recorded a 10 minute podcast detailing the trials and tribulations of the story.

In any case, no matter what your idea is, the goal is to choose the best medium for your message, as Steve Pavlina would say. Find something that creates a great balance between what you have to say and what format you want to use to express what you say. Overall, your chosen medium should reflect the content of your message.

3. Create a basic outline.

With your medium now chosen, it’s time to sketch out your idea in an easy outline form.

The purpose of the outline is to give your idea a clearer shape. You want to be able to take the outline you create and then used that to chisel out a rough draft of your creative work. If you skip directly from Step 2 to Step 4, the final form of your idea might not be as coherent and clearly expressed as you’d like it to be.

Outlines can come in all shapes and sizes, so use what works best for you. Some people like to create a simple bulleted list of all of their main points; I’m a big fan of this. To create my outline of this article, I used a pencil and a sheet of computer paper. I envisioned this article in my mind and spoke the entire article out loud, imagining that I was giving a podcast of this topic to an audience from ProBlogger. As I hit a main point, I would write that in with a 1.), 2.), and so on. From there, as I would detail each numbered point, I would write in more bullets and quick words and phrases that describe those main points. By the time I was done speaking, I created a terrific outline that could guide me through writing this entire post.

If you need to do any research for your idea, now is the time you’d research what you need. You want to make sure that when you write your rough copy, you’re able to express yourself with what you mean about 95% of the time. It’s okay if your rough copy is  not absolutely clear the first time around, but you want to be able to hit near clarity. A strong outline will help you.

At the very least, your outline needs to have the main aspects of your original idea. For example, if you’re preparing to give a speech, your outline needs to at least have the main points of what you’re going to be talking about, along with all of the sub-points. Then after you get the basics of your outline written out, the next step is to write down any examples, phrases, and whatever else you want to be including in your message. You do this so you don’t accidentally forget anything important.

I know it’s a bit weird to create your outline after you pick your medium, but to me it makes perfect sense: An outline you prepare for a speech will be different than if you’re creating an outline to compose a symphony, and both of those will be totally different than if you’re creating an outline for an eBook. The outline you’re going to be writing will reflect what kind of medium you’ve chosen.

4. Write your rough copy.

So you thought up an idea. You picked the perfect medium for your message, and you created your excellent outline. The next step is to express yourself into your medium while following your outline.

If you’re writing a new blog entry, write out your entire blog post. If you’re writing an eBook, do the same thing, only in smaller chunks. If you’re composing a song, it’s time to compose that entire song. If you’re preparing to give a speech, go to the mirror along with your outline and start speaking!

Remember to use your outline! Stick to your outline as close as possible. Of course, while you’re writing, there’s a good chance that a few of the points you made in your outline just won’t make the final cut. That’s okay. The idea of the outline is to give you a basic structure that you can use write from; stick to that structure. Your outline is what’s going to give your work a cohesive, whole feeling when you’re done writing. Also, remember to use your most important ideas from your outline in this rough copy – don’t leave anything important out!

While creating your rough copy, try to get as close to perfection as you can and make your ideas as presentable as possible. There are a couple of reasons for this. One, it’s going to make the editing process so much easier when you go back to edit after you’ve finished. Two, you’re going to feel as if you’re creating something worthwhile. Instead of kind of expanding on a lot of little ideas, you’re going to be working on an entire creative work.

5. Go back and edit what you’ve created.

So now that you have finished an almost complete work, it’s time to go back and edit what you’ve done so far.

Editing, if done correctly, will actually take you a lot longer than you probably are thinking. You’re going to be looking out for a lot of things while editing. Here are some questions you can ask yourself during the editing process:

• Do your words and phrases make sense? A lot of times, you’ll write or say something that you think will sound amazing, but in reality it simply doesn’t. For writers, check to see that you have your basic grammar intact and that you chose appropriate, colorful words to describe what you’re speaking about.
• Does the order and organization of your work make sense? Make sure you’re writing, explaining, or composing everything in a very clear, very concise way. Don’t leave anything up to chance. If you’re not sure that you’re clear enough, you probably aren’t. Ask around if you’re worried. The last thing you want is to leave somebody bewildered after reading or listening to what you have to present.
• Did you do your very best? Is what you’re going to present to the world the very best you have to offer? This may seem like the ultimate silly question to ask when you’re in an editing spree, but you want what you have to say to be totally you. You want it to be a work of creative self-expression, an extension of yourself. If what you’ve composed in your rough copy isn’t your very best, go back and change it up. Make sure what you have to say is the very best of what you have to offer.

There’s a bit of leeway after you get to this step – you might find yourself bouncing between multiple rough copies and editing them all at once. That’s totally okay. Occasionally if you’re doing something that’s very complicated, you can’t help but compose multiple copies.

Be ruthless with yourself. Editing is a tough skill to master, but it’s completely worth it in the long run. Your work will appear much more thoughtful, organized, and impressive if you take the time to trim the fat off of your creative works.

Don’t rush this step, either. Especially if you’re created something that’s long, it’s going to feel like an eternity to edit everything. That’s just to be expected. Slow yourself down, take everything word by word, note by note. You want something that’s your best; you want something that’s perfect.

6. Share your finished project!

You’re done editing. Now is the time to read, hear, or see what you’ve created one last time before you begin sharing it with other people. Go back to the questions I asked above in the editing section and ask yourself those questions again for the final time.

Make sure that what you’ve created is truly the very best of what you can offer.

Creative work needs to be shared, right? Now is the fun part – now you get to share what you’ve done with everybody else! (Okay, so at least it’s the most fun part for me!) Speak that speech in front of everybody. Create a video of your brand new song and share it with the world. Publish that new blog post and get it out there! Pass your work around to your family and friends, promote your work on forums, get people to notice what you’ve done. Believe in what you’ve created, you worked hard!

* * * * * * *

To create an awesome blog post – every single time – takes practice. But you need to have some strong basics to start from. I hope this post will truly help you when creating any kind of creative work.

So… what are you waiting for? Why aren’t you off creating something new today? Come on, get to it Remember to start at Step 1!

Keeping track of all of these separate ideas can be a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, I’ve developed a small, quick system that truly helps me keep all of my ideas in line, so I don’t miss a beat. Here are the two major components of my system.

1. Notepad on the computer. For ideas I don’t particularly care enough to develop any further than idea form, I use Notepad. I type up my ideas in a running list, with a separate file for each set of different ideas. When it comes time to develop an idea further, I use a loose leaf piece of paper to do my brainstorming on, and then I transfer that brainstorming map or list into a plan or separate document that I can take further action on.

2. A notebook. There are some subjects that I would rather brainstorm on paper than use a computer. For these subjects, I keep track of my ideas using a simple notebook. I devote one 70 page notebook to a particular subject, and  then I immediately write down any ideas I come up with in list form. When I want to brainstorm one of these ideas, I simply open up a blank page, write the idea at the top, and brainstorm. Two subjects that I use a notebook for are piano technique skills and personal development themes I want to explore more deeply.

And, for good measure, a few idea tips that you might find useful as well:

• Scribble down your ideas as soon as they come to you. Don’t wait to write down an idea. If you wait an hour to get a hold of your notebook or computer, the idea you had might be gone. Ideas are like shooting stars – if you don’t capture what you saw in your memory at that exact moment, it’s gone forever.
• Don’t focus on modifying your idea while writing it down. Write down your idea exactly as it came to you. If you want to modify it, write the modified idea down separately. There’s always time later to change your ideas.
• Write down all ideas that come to you. No idea is a bad idea while it’s still in idea form. Writing out every single idea, even the stupid ones, can act as a cure for mental fog. Because your mind won’t be boggled down with old ideas, it can be freed up to discover new ones.

Now… go and keep track of your ideas!

Our human ability to imagine a better future for ourselves and translate our vision into words is something most people take for granted. As a result, most people don’t bother setting goals – they have a general idea of where they’re headed and where they want to go, which is good enough for them. And that’s totally okay! You don’t need clearly defined goals to have a sense of direction in your life. (This also includes people who set goals in only a specific area in their life and let all of the other facets slide – e.g., the manager who only sets goals to meet certain monthly quotas in her business.)

In Philip Zimbardo’s awesome book, The Time Paradox (opens in a new window), he explains there are several perspectives human beings look at time through: the past, the present, and the future. The past perspective is concerned with past events and how we relate to and think about them; the present perspective is concerned with how we’re going to find immediate happiness in our lives; the future perspective is concerned with what actions we can take right now to achieve our future goals. While the three time-frame labels aren’t exactly breathtakingly new, the unique twist on looking at the time-frames makes the book incredibly worthwhile to read.

I’ve read parts of it, and already it’s changed my views on thinking of my personal goals and my limited time. In this blog post, I want to share two mindsets with you that he talks about in the book – the “present-minded mindset” and the “future-minded mindset.” Both are ways of living and analyzing time management with. Utilizing both of their unique benefits in your life can make your life a more richer, rewarding experience.

The Present-Minded Mindset

The present-minded mindset is being totally focused on the present moment, with no regard for how your decisions will affect your future at all. Generally this means being focused on what can make you pleasured and happy immediately, without looking at the long term consequences of your actions.

Smoking is an example of a present-minded action. So is eating that double quarter pounder with cheese you just ordered from McDonald’s because you’re a bit hungry and need some fuel. Drinking copious amounts of alcohol, gambling, and whittling away your time at video games are all activities that make you happy solely in the present. These choices lead to future consequences down the road – lung cancer, a failed liver, a highly developed character in a video game – but your focus isn’t on the future. It’s completely on the here and now. What can you do right now to give yourself a little thrill?

You see this mindset with teenagers and young adults. Do you have a one night stand to make you satisfied, or do you wait it out just a bit longer to find somebody you’re more comfortable with? Risk vs. reward thinking is subtle here – you may know promiscuous sex can lead to unwanted pregnancies and STDs, but that’s not what’s on your mind. Your mind is set on what the immediate rewards are, so why dilute that with thinking about future consequences? The rewards you’d get from having sexual activity right now is far greater than analyzing the pros and cons in your mind.

The Future-Minded Mindset

The future-minded mindset is being totally focused on the future, with all of your current actions stemming from a desire to want to build a better future for yourself or others.

Why do high achievers always achieve so highly and make the rest of the population scratch their heads in awe and wonder? It’s not because they’re that different than you – it’s because they’re solely focused on the future. They have specific goals that they must accomplish at all costs, and they eschew everything that doesn’t lead directly to their desired results.

Future-minded people have no will to engage in pleasurable activities that only benefit them in the now. Choosing between watching a half hour TV show and reading a book about their desired work field, they’ll always choose the book. Distractions need to be dealt with and removed ASAP; what matters most is getting results. Anything else isn’t worth the battle.

Delaying gratification whenever the future rewards outweigh the immediate benefits is something future oriented people are masters at. If I told you that I would give you either $50 today or in two months I’d give you $100, would you choose the former or the latter? Future-minded people would immediately choose the latter. To them, the choice is simple – there’s a bigger reward to be had in the future if short term happiness is skipped.

Combining the Two Mindsets for Amazing Goal Achievement

When people set goals, it’s rarely in a present-minded mindset. Goals start out with a future-minded thought, e.g., “I wish I made more money!” Then they turn into some kind of  more specific statement, “I will make $3,000 a year completely through my personal development blog.” It’s only then do we turn our goals into a present-minded version, “I make $3,000 a year completely through my personal development blog.”

Writing out your goals completely in the present seems like a fabulous idea on the surface – if I can imagine my goals are real right now, that would make me want to act in congruent with those goals. If I feel like I’m already making $3,000 a month through my blog, I might be more apt to continuously deliver actions that really do get me those results; I’d create an awesome self-fulfilling prophecy for myself. But is a present-minded model of goal setting really worth it in the end? It’s both yes and no. If present-minded written goals conjure up thoughts of immediate happiness and instant gratification, then they can be pretty effective. Otherwise, I would personally would stick to future-minded goal setting.

It’s important to have a razor sharp focus on the future to know specifically where you are headed in all areas of your life, but it’s also equally important to enjoy your present moment as much as possible.

Present moments allow you to have immediate fun; future-minded thinking allows you to gaze into the future and allocate your time to goal achievement. Living solely in the distant future can drain your happiness bit by bit because you don’t feel as happy as you should; living without a regard for tomorrow can make your life miserable in the future. Becoming so obsessed with the risks in life can lead you not take calculated risks that could end up being major rewards.

Where do you fall in the grand scheme of things? Do you focus more on the present, skipping out on your long term goals to have fun right here, right now? Or is your focus more skewed towards the future, missing out on fun right now for a better life someday? Focusing on the future but also having fun in the present is the way to go – but you can’t go wrong consciously choosing the way to spend your time, every day.

1. Move around!

Closed positions = a closed mind. Open positions = an open mind.

When you imagine a person deep in brainstorming, you often think of somebody sitting on a couch, notebook in one hand and pencil in the other, blankly staring off into space. Maybe you imagined yourself in that same position! That is the worst positions your body can be in while you’re striving to be creative.

A closed position leads to a closed mind. If you’re sitting in a position that’s painful, often times you’ll become hurt and impatient. Impatience leads to thinking “Why am I doing this?”, which leads to procrastination and unproductive brainstorming. If you’re leisurely lounging on your couch, you start to feel tired and bored; this too leads to disastrous ends results.  If you’re having trouble creating new ideas, try standing up. Move around the room – imagine you’re talking to a classroom full of students, and you have to come up with an interesting presentation about your current ideas. Pace briskly around the room, use hand motions as you’re thinking, look excited and enthralled! Nobody is watching you, so put on your acting face!

Think of how you act when you chat on the phone to your best friend, telling them something exciting that’s just happened in your life. You appear thrilled and glowing, you begin to use extravagant hand motions to emphasize your thoughts. You giggle, smile, and literally act like the person is standing right across from you. Even though you can’t physically see your friend, your actions show that your mind is actively working to retrieve the memories you’re trying to relay to them. Try to jump-start your brain by physically getting excited if you’re having trouble brainstorming.

2. Think to yourself out loud.

When we’re actively engaging in brainstorming, it’s easy to only write down our ideas without questioning how that idea came to be. As a result, after the first few ideas we begin to think in a closed-minded pattern – this can lead many people to encounter a form of writer’s block. Obviously this can’t be a good thing – for example, if you’re striving for 50 ways to create passive income on your blog and you can only think of 10 ways, you’re coming up just a bit short.

Thinking out loud helps break those closed-minded patterns. Instead of creating ideas out of thin air solely in your mind, you’re forcing yourself to justify your own reasons to yourself. Doing this allows you to make new connections with old and new concepts, which then leads to a richer, more productive brainstorming session.

3. Hold an object in your hand.

Have you ever played with a Rubik’s cube before? Most people have! They’re a bit addicting, aren’t they? You begin to shuffle around the colors, trying your hardest to solve the puzzle. After a while your mind begins to wander and think of what’s for dinner, what you’re doing tomorrow night… and the problem you’ve been having at work.

Human beings are very tactile-oriented creatures. We love to play with things – even as kids we often played around with creative, colorful toys, touching everything and getting a sense of the world around us. As adults we tried to put this part of us back into a box, and unfortunately our creativity also was stored away. Next time you’re having difficulty brainstorming, try playing with something in your hands as you think: a squishy stress ball, a mechanical pencil, a metal chain. It might be enough to stimulate your imagination.

4. Get a friend to objectively question your thought patterns.

Even after brainstorming out loud, sometimes we still can’t smash our thought patterns. Asking somebody else to objectively look at your brainstormed list and ask you how you created your ideas will force you to justify your reasons to them. Once you begin to see an underlying pattern, you can then inject a bit of reasoning and emotion into your thoughts and come up with new, brilliant solutions to your problems.

For example, suppose you’re coming up with new ideas on how to decorate your front lawn, but all of your landscaping ideas include adding in more flowers. You don’t see this blind spot – flower adder! – because you’re too entrenched in the belief that to have a decorated lawn, you must add flowers. Asking your best friend to look over your answers and ask, “Why does every idea include flowers? This is ridiculous!” can lead to a better brainstorming run.

5. Start brainstorming a completely different problem.

“Brainstorming block” is identical to writer’s block. It’s annoying and hardly fun to strive to create new ideas and not be able to come up with anything.  Sometimes the best way to become a better brainstormer is to simply try brainstorming solutions to a brand new problem. Doing this allows you to start making new connections with a totally different concepts. Those connections may allow you to better brainstorm on your original problem.

What are your personal suggestions?

Brainstorming, to me, is all about creating new, creative connections with concepts and ideas you already know. What methods do you use to make brainstorming more productive and easier? Don’t be shy – share them in the comments. Let’s help each other become even better at this valuable skill.