Fire Up Your Writing Brain by Susan Reynolds explores the study of neuroscience and teaches you how to develop your brain to its fullest potential. The book is based on proven, easy to understand science and how to apply this knowledge to fire up your brain.
In 12 chapters the author describes:
What your brain can do for you
How to awaken your brain
Identify your writing brain
Reinforce your writing brain
Jumpstart your writing brain
Nurture your writing brain
Fire up your writing brain
Fuel your writing brain
Sustain your writing brain
Reward your writing brain
Call in your executive brain
Each chapter ends with a short quiz to test your powers of knowledge retention. Don’t worry you can’t fail. The author points out that you may want to pay closer attention when you read or do research, pausing occasionally to let thoughts penetrate, or writing down important information. Both of these habits promote more synaptic connections and alert your brain that you want the information stored in your long term memory.
Susan includes a list of 5 things you can do for your brain health today to help you conceive, create and craft stories.
1. Eat food that’s good for body and brain
2. Move your body every day
3. Stimulate your brain
4. Reduce stress
5. Get plenty of sleep
Write to Give Your Brain a Rush
Fifteen to twenty minutes of expressive writing, three to
five times a week has been shown to have positive health
benefits, including long-term improvements in mood, stress
levels, and depressive symptoms. Those who experienced
stressful or traumatic events and wrote about it had fewer
illnesses, lower blood pressure, and spent less time in the
hospital. A 2003 study showed that patients who had biop-
sies and wrote about their experience (twenty minutes a day,
three days in a row, two weeks before the biopsy} healed
faster. Asthma patients who write have fewer attacks; AIDS
patients who write have higher T-cell counts; and cancer
patients who write report more optimistic perspectives and
improved quality of life. Writing in a journal and blogging
results in the release of enough dopamine to create positive
effects similar to the effects of running or listening to music
produces. Moral: Write a blog and give your brain a rush.
Thanks Susan I feel better already.