Cognitive Training for Authors: Boost Your Intelligence

Improving author intelligence is the deliberate practice of optimizing biological health and implementing cognitive strategies to enhance narrative complexity, vocabulary retrieval, and problem-solving speed. While most writing advice focuses on craft (showing vs. telling), cognitive science offers a deeper advantage: upgrading the “hardware” (your brain) that processes that craft. Enhancing your cognitive function directly impacts your ability to close plot holes, sustain deep focus during drafting, and manage the complex logistics of a publishing career.

To improve effectively, you must understand that intelligence is not a single entity. Science distinguishes between two primary types, and authors need a specific protocol for each.

1. Optimize the Hardware (Biological Foundation)

You cannot produce high-level creative work on an inflamed or exhausted brain. Your cognitive function is biologically constrained by oxygen flow, hormonal balance, and inflammation. Before attempting to “learn” faster, you must ensure your brain’s physical environment is optimized.

The Glymphatic System (Sleep)

Sleep is not just for energy; it is a cleaning process. During deep sleep, the glymphatic system flushes neurotoxins (like beta-amyloid) from your brain tissue. This system is 60% more active when you are asleep than when awake.

• The Writer’s Risk: If you cut sleep to hit a deadline, you are accumulating toxic buildup that leads to “creative hangover”—the inability to access words or visualize scenes.
• Protocol: Aim for 7.5 to 9 hours. Sleep consistency is more important than duration; wake up at the same time every day to regulate your circadian rhythm.

Aerobic Exercise and the Hippocampus

Writing is sedentary, but intelligence requires movement. Aerobic exercise (running, swimming, cycling) increases the production of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). Neuroscientists describe BDNF as “Miracle-Gro for the brain.” It specifically targets the hippocampus, the area responsible for long-term memory and spatial navigation.

For authors of complex series (like epic fantasy or sci-fi), a larger, healthier hippocampus is essential for tracking character arcs and world-building details across thousands of pages. If you feel mentally blocked, read our guide on finding inspiration through movement.

Nutrition for Inflammation

Brain fog is often a symptom of systemic inflammation. The “MIND Diet” (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) is heavily supported by research.

• Eat: Berries (anthocyanins improve blood flow to the brain), leafy greens, walnuts (Omega-3s), and fatty fish.
• Avoid: Highly processed sugars and trans fats, which can impair the blood-brain barrier.
• Hydration: A dehydration level of just 2% can lead to significant drops in attention and working memory. Keep water at your desk.

2. Train Fluid Intelligence (Processing Power)

Fluid intelligence (Gf) peaks in early adulthood and slowly declines, but you can slow this decline and even improve capacity through novelty and challenge. In writing, Gf is your “engine.” It powers your ability to outline, fix plot holes, and handle the logic of your story.

Dual N-Back Training

Most “brain training” games are scientifically questionable, often only making you better at the game itself. However, the Dual N-Back task has shown efficacy in peer-reviewed studies for improving working memory.

The task requires tracking a visual cue (a square on a grid) and an auditory cue (a spoken letter) simultaneously. This forces interference control—the ability to ignore distractions and hold data in your mind. For writers, strong interference control means you can hold a complex scene in your head without getting distracted by the internet or a phone notification.

Constraint-Based Writing

To force your brain to create new neural pathways, you must subject it to constraints. When writing becomes “easy,” you are coasting on habit. To spike Fluid Intelligence:

• Drabbles: Write a complete story in exactly 100 words. Not 99, not 101. This forces precise logic and editing.
• Lipograms: Write a scene without using the letter “e.” This forces your brain to bypass its standard vocabulary pathways and forge new linguistic connections.

Learn High-Friction Skills

Fluid intelligence thrives on frustration. Learning a new language or musical instrument forces the brain into a state of “neuroplasticity.” This is superior to passive consumption. For an author, learning the grammar of a new language (like Spanish or Japanese) illuminates the mechanics of English, often improving your command of syntax and rhythm.

3. Upgrade Crystallized Intelligence (Knowledge)

Crystallized intelligence (Gc) is your internal library. It includes your vocabulary, historical facts, and genre knowledge. Unlike Fluid Intelligence, Gc can increase indefinitely as you age. The key to upgrading this is moving from passive consumption to active retention.

Active Recall vs. Passive Re-reading

Stop highlighting books. Research shows that highlighting has low utility for retention. Instead, use Active Recall.

• The Method: Read a chapter on narrative structure. Close the book. Take a blank sheet of paper and write down everything you remember.
• The Science: The cognitive struggle to retrieve the memory strengthens the neural pathway. This is how you move knowledge from “short-term holding” to “long-term mastery.”

Interleaving Topics

Standard studying involves “blocking” (studying one topic for 4 hours). A superior method is Interleaving (mixing related topics). For an author, this might look like studying Victorian History for 30 minutes, then switch to Screenwriting Structure for 30 minutes, then back to History.

Interleaving forces your brain to constantly “reload” the context, which highlights the connections between fields. You might suddenly realize how a Victorian social etiquette rule (History) creates a perfect Inciting Incident (Screenwriting).

Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS)

Your brain is designed to forget. This is the “Forgetting Curve.” To combat this, you must review information at specific intervals. Use apps like Anki to create flashcards for:

• Uncommon vocabulary words.
• Details of your own world-building (names, dates, magic rules).
• Grammar rules you frequently break.

4. The Ability to Be Intelligent (Metacognition)

Metacognition is “thinking about thinking.” It is the executive function that manages your other intelligences. High metacognition allows an author to judge their own work accurately, avoiding the Dunning-Kruger effect.

The Feynman Technique for Clarity

Intelligent authors do not hide behind jargon; they simplify. To test your understanding of your own story themes, use the Feynman Technique: Can you explain your plot to a 12-year-old? If you stumble, you don’t have a complexity problem; you have a clarity problem. This forces you to identify the gaps in your own logic.

Growth Mindset & Editorial Resilience

Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck identified that a “Fixed Mindset” (believing intelligence is static) destroys performance under stress. A “Growth Mindset” treats intelligence like a muscle.

When you receive a harsh edit, a Fixed Mindset author thinks, “I am not talented.” A Growth Mindset author thinks, “I have not mastered this scene transition yet.” This cognitive reframe is essential for professional longevity. For help with the practical side of this, see our expert guide to editing.

5. Sample Cognitive Routine for Authors

How do you integrate this into a busy life? Do not overhaul your life overnight. Integrate these “upgrades” into your existing writing blocks to maximize productivity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: 2025-11-23