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How to Improve Your Writing and Stop Writer’s Block
Cross Crawl to Engage Your Whole Brain
If you’re an engineer, you’re probably left-brain dominant. But if you’re a poet, your right-brain is in charge. Nothing wrong with this simple explanation . . . except that it’s too simple.
To simplify even further, the right side of your brain is the creative part of your brain; the left side the analytical. Several years ago, a popular “parlor game,” was labeling our own brains and the brains of our friends as either left-brain or right-brain. Kind of a stupid game and happily appears to have gone out of fashion.
By the way, nobody is 100 percent right brain or left brain.
But as with every simplification there is some truth. Take writing, for example: the left-side of your brain knows the rules of grammar and probably so well that you rarely make a grammatical mistake when writing for Medium.
The right-side of your brain helps you create interesting stories that folks want to read. Maybe it’s something fun? Something unusual? Or has an emotional impact?
If you’re stuck in the left side of your brain, what you’ve written is probably boring. Think a computer manual for writing html code. If you’re stuck in the
right side of your brain, there’s a good chance, unless you’re writing poetry, your writing won’t make sense.
Whole-brain writing is the answer. Huh? Whole-brain writing? It’s nothing more than getting the grammar, sentence structure, and paragraph order correct while creating writing that tells a story, solves a problem, or teaches a concept. The right side of your brain tells the story, the left side takes care of the rules of writing.
How to Tell the Story with Your Right Brain and Stick to the Rules with Your Left Brain
Using both sides of your brain is easy. Just cross the center midline of your body. For example, could be as simple as crossing your ankles. Or crossing your arms across your chest.
The best way is an exercise called “cross-crawl.” It’s nothing more than marching in place while tapping your right knee with your left hand or left elbow…
