Author Inspiration: Is It Pure Intellect or Emotional Intelligence?

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Harriet_Hodgson]Harriet Hodgson
"What's your next book going to be about?" a friend asked.
"I can't say," I replied.
"Oh, is it a secret?" she countered.
"No. I know I'll write another book, but I don't know what it will be about yet," I answered. "I could get a new idea at any time.
Book ideas often take me by surprise. In the last three months I've had three new ideas and written three books. Writing took over my life ad I became a possessed woman, cranking out more than 10,000 words a week. Thankfully, my husband has witnessed these creative spurts before and understands them.
Friends describe me as a "lean, mean writing machine." I describe myself as a creative woman who uses her emotional intelligence. What is it anyway? Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify feelings and use them in positive ways. Daniel Goleman, author of "Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ," might describe the term as leading with the heart instead of the mind.
IQ tests rely on word and math skills to determine ability. While emotional intelligence is difficult to measure, the core abilities are clear. These abilities are detailed in a HelpGuide website article, "Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Five Key Skills for Raising Your Emotional Intelligence. The core abilities are self-awarness (including self-confidence), self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
I'm familiar with these abilities because I've been writing for decades. Ever since I was a small child I've been a self-aware person and am always on the lookout for new book ideas. Sometimes I get ideas while I'm walking, or on long road trips, or in the grocery store. One book idea came to me in the middle of a conference presentation. Self-awareness is crucial to the writing process.
People who have high emotional intelligence are able to enter the "flow," according to Goleman. "Being able to enter flow is emotional intelligence at its best," he writes. I understand flow and have been there many times. Certainly, I've been in the flow the last three months, so absorbed in writing I was barely aware of anything else.
Self-management helps me to evaluate book ideas. Can I state the purpose in one sentence? Is there enough supporting research? Have similar works been published? What makes my idea different? As I'm writing I stay alert to signs of fatigue, another form of self-management.
Many of my book ideas stem from social awareness. My recent work focuses on loss, grief and recovery. Five books have come from my personal experience with grief and the need for more information on coping. While these books fill a social need, writing them also helped me to recover.
Last, but not least, emotional intelligence includes relationship management. For me, this management includes interacting with publishers, editors, and marketing experts. Several times in my career, my good author-publisher relationship has led to another sale. This brings us back to the question: Is author inspiration pure IQ or emotional intelligence? I think it's both and so does Goleman.
He describes EQ as "metability, determining how well we use whatever skills we have, including raw intellect." As years have passed and my career developed, I've improved my emotional intelligence skills and continue to hone them. Though I don't know my next book idea yet, I know I will have one. Each idea is emotional intelligence in action.
Copyright 2011 by Harriet Hodgson http://www.harriethodgson.com/
Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 35+ years and is the author of 30 published works. She has written about many topics, including sexual harassment, aging, caregiving, loss and grief. Centering Corporation has published Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life, a companion journal, The Spiritual Woman: Quotes to Refresh and Sustain Your Soul, and her latest book, Happy Again! Your New and Meaningful Life After Loss. Hodgson has two other new books, 101 Affirmations to Ease Your Grief Journey and Real Meals on 18 Wheels: A Guide for Healthy Living on the Highway, Kathryn Clements, RD, co-author. Please visit Harriet's website and learn more about this busy author.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Author-Inspiration:-Is-It-Pure-Intellect-or-Emotional-Intelligence?&id=6591828] Author Inspiration: Is It Pure Intellect or Emotional Intelligence?