In which we talk creativity
This is the first of a two-part post on creativity. Hope you enjoy!
The writing life is an interesting one. For starters, it requires a constant tango with creativity, an ongoing effort to keep the fires of inspiration stoked and hot, and as everyone knows, to keep a fire going, you have to have fuel.
But how do you fuel creativity? Constant writing is like leaving the lights on in the car—it can drain the battery, and sometimes settling down to write can feel furtive and a little dangerous, as if you’re tinkering under the hood to hotwire the engine. I do not believe in writers’ block, but I do believe in fatigue. I know what it is like to be bone-tired, feeling gray and fuzzy around the edges. That’s when the cursor blinking at you seems to be tapping out profanity in Morse code and even writing the simplest blog entry or email seems to be demanding more than you can give.
The short solution for such times is simply to get on with it. If you are on deadline, you have no choice but to put your tailfeathers in the chair and write--painful, but effective. But there is a way to limit such occasions in the future, a sort of creativity manifesto whose guidelines are an excellent way to safeguard your creative spark. Here are a few of the things I do to ensure that when I sit down to work, the words sit down with me:
*No computer until the creative work for the day is done. This means no emails, no blogging, no updating Facebook until the writing is finished. It doesn’t matter whether the writing goal for the day is page or word count or limited by the clock. Meet it and then you can tweet.
*No computer after 5pm. Working from home means that the boundaries are blurred. Reclaiming the evening is like posting guards and electrified fencing to make certain your time for yourself and your family is observed.
*No work-related reading after 4pm. See above. It is far too easy to drift into reading and taking notes when you need to be giving yourself—and your juicy, bubbling subconscious—a break.
*One non-writing creative activity each day. Sketching, knitting, baking, gardening, quilling, boating. It doesn’t matter. Almost anything can be done creatively, and so long as it doesn’t involve putting words on paper, it will serve to support your imagination.
*Less television, more podcasts. Podcasts are becoming increasingly more worthwhile. You can listen to books, interviews, and debates, take language lessons, catch up with world news, and take tours of famous landmarks and libraries. Armchair travel at its best.
More to come tomorrow!
The writing life is an interesting one. For starters, it requires a constant tango with creativity, an ongoing effort to keep the fires of inspiration stoked and hot, and as everyone knows, to keep a fire going, you have to have fuel.
But how do you fuel creativity? Constant writing is like leaving the lights on in the car—it can drain the battery, and sometimes settling down to write can feel furtive and a little dangerous, as if you’re tinkering under the hood to hotwire the engine. I do not believe in writers’ block, but I do believe in fatigue. I know what it is like to be bone-tired, feeling gray and fuzzy around the edges. That’s when the cursor blinking at you seems to be tapping out profanity in Morse code and even writing the simplest blog entry or email seems to be demanding more than you can give.
The short solution for such times is simply to get on with it. If you are on deadline, you have no choice but to put your tailfeathers in the chair and write--painful, but effective. But there is a way to limit such occasions in the future, a sort of creativity manifesto whose guidelines are an excellent way to safeguard your creative spark. Here are a few of the things I do to ensure that when I sit down to work, the words sit down with me:
*No computer until the creative work for the day is done. This means no emails, no blogging, no updating Facebook until the writing is finished. It doesn’t matter whether the writing goal for the day is page or word count or limited by the clock. Meet it and then you can tweet.
*No computer after 5pm. Working from home means that the boundaries are blurred. Reclaiming the evening is like posting guards and electrified fencing to make certain your time for yourself and your family is observed.
*No work-related reading after 4pm. See above. It is far too easy to drift into reading and taking notes when you need to be giving yourself—and your juicy, bubbling subconscious—a break.
*One non-writing creative activity each day. Sketching, knitting, baking, gardening, quilling, boating. It doesn’t matter. Almost anything can be done creatively, and so long as it doesn’t involve putting words on paper, it will serve to support your imagination.
*Less television, more podcasts. Podcasts are becoming increasingly more worthwhile. You can listen to books, interviews, and debates, take language lessons, catch up with world news, and take tours of famous landmarks and libraries. Armchair travel at its best.
More to come tomorrow!
Comments
My nephew is a professional
My nephew is a professional screen writer out in LA and I know he writes every day and disciplines himself, and I was trained in set and costume design in my later years in college, and only recently have gone back to the drawing and painting part of that. Right now I'm taking a vacation from a "drawing" ( I use pastel and colored pencils primarily)--for my Christmas card this year, as I seemed to have reached a stopping point, but am wondering if one should use the same discipline in artwork as in writing--in other words, discipline oneself to do something everyday--though I some time feel if I take awhile off, I come back to the picture with fresh eyes--and now, anyway, I'm deep in Transylvania with Theodora et al
So many good suggestions and
So many good suggestions and I'm glad you tout the importance of creativity. I always thought myself a creative person but it's completely different to nurture the creative side and do everything you can to let it shine. Wonderful tips and wonderful blog.
"Meet it and you can tweet
"Meet it and you can tweet it"