Authors need both free flowing creativity and accuracy skills to create a remarkable book.
It takes many skill sets to create a book. Authors need to tap into their divergent and convergent thinking depending on which task is at hand.
Divergent vs. Convergent Thinking
Divergent thinking is all about complexity, curiosity, flexibility, fluency/fluid, imagination, originality, and risk-taking.
Convergent thinking is all about logic, accuracy, finding the best or correct solution or path, structured, problem solving, identifying the known, recognizing patterns, and applying techniques (think math).
Authors need both.
Stuck in One Thought Pattern
I notice that authors get stuck in their writing. Sometimes they are stuck in a form of thinking that doesn’t serve at that moment, for the task at hand.
Often authors get stuck in convergent thinking, the logic and the accuracy. They are writing a first draft and are trying to create a perfect sentence each time. This means that they are not in divergent thinking where they should be. Divergent thinking allows for originality, complexity, imagination, fluency, which is what you want when writing your first draft.
Divergent Thinking for Creativity
Divergent thinking is helpful when you are in a creative space. Mind mapping, creating artwork, maintaining a journal, subject mapping, devoting some time to meditation and thinking, free writing, and building lists of questions are all examples of activities that trigger divergent thinking. This includes writing your first draft.
Convergent Thinking for Accuracy
Convergent thinking is helpful when you are creating an outline, categorizing, joining ideas based on common elements, organizing ideas, structuring information, making things clear, concise, describing patterns. When you are editing.
Think Two Ways
We need both types of thinking to produce a book our readers need and want.
So if you are feeling stuck in a task, maybe you need to put on your other thinking cap, and allow yourself to play with ideas, create, colour, draw, or explore. In other words, allow your divergent thinking to do its magic.
Join Author Nation and write your book with us, from the first word to the last word.
– Keep writing
Melody Ann
Author Nation is your go-to resource for becoming a successful nonfiction author, from planning to promotion and everything in between. Download the resource for the stage you are in.