The Brain in Writing

I’m currently reading a non-fiction, non-writing book called, The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, MD but I can see influences for creativity and writing the more I learn. The main theme of the book is looking at the brain from a plasticity standpoint instead of a locked one.

Last night I was reading about what happens when we stop using our “mental skills”. The impression I received from the small passage I read follows an old cliché to a T. You may have heard of “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” It makes perfect sense that the same would hold true for creative outlets like writing.

“If we stop exercising our mental skills, we do not just forget them: the brain map space for those skills is turned over to the skills we practise instead.”

It is important that we use are creative writing skills every day otherwise the space it occupies in our neuro map will become occupied with other skills we fill our day with. Like sitting in front of the tube watching a good murder mystery.

I haven’t gotten to the part yet where he explains how much and how often is enough to keep a neuro path intact but since almost every writer I’ve ever talked with stresses the importance of writing every day then it is probably a good platform to work from.

So my question to you: Have you written today to encourage a deep path in your neuro map for your writing skills? If you haven’t, there’s no better time than right now. Do a few minutes of creative writing every day even if it is the simple act of a writing exercise.

Keep writing on the brain.