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8 Strange Rituals of Productive Writers. Using Research to Enhance Creative Thinking - Part 2. In Part 1 of this post, I mentioned two articles that refer to multiple research studies; here are more excerpts from those articles, plus additional material.

Using Research to Enhance Creative Thinking - Part 2

In “The science of creativity,” Amy Novotney notes a study at Harvard Medical School in which creativity researchers suggest sleeping on a problem. Psychologist Deirde Barrett, PhD “asked her students to imagine a problem they were trying to solve before going to sleep and found that they were able to come up with novel solutions in their dreams. “In the study, published in Dreaming (Vol. 3, No. 2), half of the participants reported having dreams that addressed their chosen problems, and a quarter came up with solutions in their dreams.” “We’re in a different biochemical state when we’re dreaming, and that’s why I think dreams can be so helpful anytime we’re stuck in our usual mode of thinking,” Barrett says.

Also see my earlier post More Daydreaming, More Creativity. Collaboration – or not Bilingualism and multilingualism Step away. Deliberate Practice: What It Is and Why You Need It. To learn any new skill or gain expertise you need to practice, practice, practice.

Deliberate Practice: What It Is and Why You Need It

There isn’t much debate about that. But here’s what you might not know: scientific research shows that the quality of your practice is just as important as the quantity. And, more interestingly, these scientists also believe that expert-level performance is primarily the result of expert-level practice NOT due to innate talent. This concept is known as deliberate practice, and it’s incredibly powerful. First, let’s look at what the experts have to say. People believe that because expert performance is qualitatively different from normal performance the expert performer must be endowed with characteristics qualitatively different from those of normal adults. The common view held until recently was that expert-level performance was simply the result of talent and “natural abilities.” Think about your own views for a moment. Have you ever thought you’re not cut out to do something due to a lack of talent? Creative Thinking Is a Specific Process That Can Be Replicated.

Proofreading. Summary: Proofreading is primarily about searching your writing for errors, both grammatical and typographical, before submitting your paper for an audience (a teacher, a publisher, etc.).

Proofreading

Use this resource to help you find and fix common errors. Contributors:Jaclyn M. Wells, Morgan Sousa, and Mia Martini, Allen BrizeeLast Edited: 2010-04-17 05:27:52 Though everyone has a unique proofreading process, there are some general strategies that can be helpful to most writers. General Strategies Take a break! Personalizing Proofreading In addition to following the general guidelines above, individualizing your proofreading process to your needs will help you proofread more efficiently and effectively. Find out what errors you typically make. 19 Motivational Quotes from Albert Einstein. Are you in the mood for some motivational quotes from Albert Einstein today?

19 Motivational Quotes from Albert Einstein

If you’re into motivation and inspiration, then you should be! It’s likely that nearly everyone in this world knows who Albert Einstein is. As the proclaimed Father of Modern Physics, most people would consider Albert Einstein as a huge source of their motivation as well. After all, no-one believed in his abilities when he was a young kid; his teachers rejected him and his classmates mocked him, and yet, all his discoveries are foundations of the teachings in our science curriculum and seemingly everyone sings songs of praise about him today. Isn’t that motivating enough for you? Well, you might also be surprised to know that it isn’t only his life that is highly motivating: his quotes are truly inspirational and life-changing, too! To get you more motivated, here are 19 quotes by Albert Einstein.

How Kanye West Improved his Rapping. Designed by Dmitry Baranovskiy for the Noun Project The creative routines of famous creatives has been popular internet fodder this year.

How Kanye West Improved his Rapping

The Pacific Standard thinks this obsession and trend of emulating famous artist’s habits is problematic, to say the least. The larger picture, says Casey N. Cep, is that most artists did not always followed these routines they’re known for anyways. In the end they would have still produced genius work regardless of the kind of breakfast they ate, hours they worked, or whatever office supplies they used. The idea that any one of these habits can be isolated from the entirety of the writer’s life and made into a template for the rest of us is nonsense. We often talk about process at 99U, so we think this is a great debate. Read the rest of the article here.