NYT bestselling author offers 4 tips on how to come up with brilliant ideas under pressure

 Sometimes the creative juices dry up and the dreaded "writers' block" takes hold.
 It's a time of frustration and doubt, when writing is no longer fun.
 But Michael Levin, a New York Times best-selling author and writing coach, has an idea. Levin preaches that creativity is a muscle. You have to use it or lose it, and the more you use it, the better shape it will be in when you really need it.
“I define creativity as ‘the ability to develop great ideas while under pressure,’ ” he says. “Pressure creates diamonds, so why shouldn’t it also create great ideas?”
 Speaking to Forbes Magazine, Levin says: “Over time, I’ve developed several tricks to stimulate my creative muscle and help me come up with great ideas for whatever challenge I face—whether it’s writing or figuring out how to arrange a busy family weekend schedule so that everyone’s needs are met.”
 He offers four no-fail tips to get the pump flowing again:

1.  Ask yourself, “What’s the most dangerous, expensive and illegal way to solve this problem?”
2.  Hide
3.  Count to 20
4.  Give up

Read the complete article here and visit Levin's website and YouTube channel.