Making the World Your Info-Oyster

Today’s post is by guest blogger Marlene Caroselli, M.Ed.

I’ve never understood writers who claim to have writer’s block. If you are alive, your brain is working. And, if it’s working, you have access to numerous article or book ideas every single day.  The content for a book or article might come from meeting a sexy octogenarian, from a news report, from a given sentence, even from a given word.

We writers, after all, all share a love of the written word. We are drawn to the nuances, the finely wrought juxtapositions, the resonance that is created by “les mots justes” or “the exact words.” Picasso asked, ‘Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing?’ Writers wonder the same thing about words.

To illustrate, I saw a news article about the president buying shaved-ice cones for his daughters while vacationing in Hawaii. Immediately, a new American word was coined–’Snowbamas.’ I used the word as the lead-in to an article about portmanteaux (word blending) and the flexibility of our wondrous language.

As you work to become more receptive to the possibilities out there in the universe, look, too, to what you’ve already written. I’m a strong believer in recycling, regifting, reusing; I try to optimize everything I write. So if I’m writing a curriculum, I’ll convert parts of it into several articles. And, if the curriculum has enough meat, I’ll flesh it out and create a book.

Even papers you’ve written for high school or college classes have some “meat” in them. People you know all have stories hidden inside them, wonderful stories seeking a writer. I swim at the Y several times a week. The other swimmers are a source of fascination to me.

For example, last week a septuagenarian told me Viagara caused a temporary memory loss in her husband–now there’s a great concept for an article about memory or a screenplay about sex and senior citizens. A 92-year-old woman told me she has been friends for more than 70 years with another swimmer. When the second woman’s husband died, the 92-year-old told her, “You will never have to eat alone.” She invited her over for dinner with her and her husband every single night. When the husband of the 92-year-old later passed away, the two women vowed to have one meal together each day.

My advice to writers old and new: Remain open to the world around you and let it suggest ideas. The “blocks” you’ve heard about don’t truly exist.

Dr. Marlene Caroselli is the author of 60 business books and uncountable curricula and articles. She has served as an adjunct professor at UCLA and National University, while conducting training for Fortune 100 companies and numerous federal agencies. Her assignments have taken her all over the country and the globe as well.

Hew newest book, Jesus, Jonas, and Janus: The Leadership Triumvirate explores leadership through the prism of historical figures.

In addition to books, Dr. Caroselli writes frequently for Stephen Covey’s Executive Excellence, for the Employment Times, as well as for numerous other print and electronic publications. She also writes podcasts for Workplace English Training E-Magazine.

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