On Tuesday you have met your inner two year old, today we are going to explore how you can use her on your travels through your writing :)

Part 2: Come out and play!

On Tuesday I wrote about your inner two year old's positive and negative sides. She can play and dream and be utterly blissful, but she can also be very very very afraid, and is very good at giving up on something she really doesn't like (ever tried to get a 2 year old to eat food she didn't like the first time?). If you let those fears take a hold of you, you are neglecting the other side of your inner two year old: play. The funny thing is, that play is one of the best ways to deal with fear.

Want to come out and play? My inner two year old just went: "Wheeeeeeeeeeee!"

Dance! Shake up your sessions
Your inner two year old hears music she loves. She drops everything she is doing, and dances, sings along even though she doesn't know the words, just hearing the music makes her blissful. And ooohhh don't get her on a swing set, because she just rocks at swinging, the biggest smile possible on her face, she tosses her legs high in the air, and is completely carefree.
Let your inner two year old out to play when you start your sessions. First do something that brings her out in full,  like dancing like mad, listening to upbeat music, start your writing with a big smile on your face, and see it as the gift that it is!
You rock, and it is time the world SEES you do! Let your characters dance like you do, and be blissfully happy in a scene, just convey the feeling you have when you play into your character's happiness.

Play somewhere else
Even though your inner two year old has her play room, she loves to get her toys and toss them all over the living room floor, or to bring a toy to bed, hiding it under her blankies, playing until she blissfully falls asleep.
Write in the subway, in the park, in a pub, in the doctor's office. Don't be afraid to just step out of your boundaries, and just write anywhere you want. You are a writer, show that to the world without a care. Whenever fear or shame pops up, tell your fear to shove it, you are playing :)

Get in trouble
Remember the feeling of being up to no good. Sneaking around the house, hiding your daddy's car keys, hiding behind the sofa, ready to shout: boooo! when someone passes by, and giggling like mad when they are all shaken up. Or be all aloof and angelic when someone asks you: "did you do that?" and shake no trying to keep a straight face.
Just bring this playful mischief into your writing, sit behind your desk with a grin, throwing in a major twist at your readers that they never saw coming until they notice they did see a hint to that earlier, or by letting one of your characters pull a prank on someone else. Get your characters in trouble, be playful and mischievous in your writing, your readers will love to see your stories sparkle with that!

Get a new toy
Your inner two year old loves nothing better than getting a gift! A new toy, a doll to play with, a new book to "read", a new friend.
Get one of your characters, and plop them into a whole different genre, a genre you love to read but haven't really thought about writing in. Get yourself a new colourful writing pad, and write with the pretty coloured pen that you always wanted but thought was childish. Anything to get your writing into a new, fearless, gear!

Build a huge tower of bricks
Just see your inner two year old, sitting on the floor surrounded with building blocks. She picks some up and tosses them away, others she puts on top of a big stack in front of her. She has a big tower already. Then she "accidentally" throws it over, and laughs like mad. She gets the bricks again, and with the tip of her tongue out of her mouth she puts a big red block at the base of the amazing new tower she is going to build. Even better than the last one, she promises with a giggle.
Don't be afraid to start over, with a story, with a book, anything. Just keep what you know is good, and just leave the rest by the wayside. It may be that you use them, or it may be that they sit in a plot bunnies folder for eternity. You rock at playing, and you can reinvent your writing every time you sit behind your desk and play with your blocks, the words that weave together the story you desperately want to tell.

Be excited
Your inner two year old sees gramma coming from a mile away. She jumps up and down and can't wait for the front door to open and let in the woman she loves the most. She really really wants to hug her and smooch her. As fast as her little feet can carry her, she runs to open the door.
Yay! You get to write! Of all the things in the world you love, this is what you love best, you, your desk and that amazing story you want to tell with every fiber of your being. And if it gets rejected, just grab the bricks, and build again, make the story better than ever, and submit it again. You are a limitless being, after all!


Your assignment
Get out the story I asked you to bring along, and select a character. Now play with him or her using one or two or all of the tips above! Remember to write with a big smile on your face, and allow yourself some play time before sitting down to write this scene. I will post my scene too, as a reply to this post.

This is a great way of using the positive aspects of your inner two year old (her llimitless imagination) in your writing. Post this meeting in either a reply to this post or an email to tamlynleigh at gmail dot com.

On Saturday I will post the last part of the workshop: the FREE Writer :)



And last but not least: the prizes
Anyone who posts a reply, can enter into a raffle to win the following prizes:

1. An Ebook of Stephen King's On writing You choose the format, I buy the book and mail it to you.
2. A one hour coaching session Through chat (or if you wish we can correspond through email, 3 emails total), going deeper into your personal aspects of fear and the way it influences your writing (and your life)
3. A story - tarot session You email me a description of one of your characters on a problem they face, and I do a 3 card tarot reading for him or her.This is a great way to find underlying emotions and problems.

If the reply to this post is your first reply to my workshop, please state which of the prizes you would like to win :) The answers to tuesday's post are already on my list. (and yes, I checked it twice ;) )

Good luck!