Jumpstart your creativity

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2006
Jumpstart your creativity
Excellent book: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne, Dave King
Linda Clare, February 2002
What Is Creativity?
Three Elements Of Creativity
I. A. Nonjudgment—put the inner editor away while you are in the creating stage of our project
II. Commitment—day each of us decides how to spend our time
III. In order to put forth a new idea, you must be willing to take the risk that others may not like it.
Where Does Creativity Come From?
IV. God is the original creative Guy. Colossians 1:6 says, “In Him all things were created.”
V. In Genesis God created heaven and earth, stocked the skies with stars and the world with plants and animals, and even made people in His own likeness.
VI. Jesus gave us with the Holy Spirit to not only help us in our spiritual life, but also as a source to tap into for all our creative energy. (Luke 12: 12) “The Holy Spirit will teach you what words to say.” Romans 8—The Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
What’s the Best way to Smother Your Creativity?
1 .Tell yourself you’re not original (Eccles. 1:19) “...there is nothing new under heaven and earth.”
2.The da Vinci Complex—comparing yourself to a known genius so you feel too puny to have a good idea.
3.Worry about what others will think. Or fear that your friends and family will disapprove, your mom won’t speak to you and even that your dog might shun you.
4. Worry you won’t make money or enough money from your creative endeavor. When money is your motive, you’re behind the eight-ball and you lose freedom to think creatively. This isn’t to say that some of the best writing doesn’t come while under pressure. But if your sole motivation is to write in order to pay the bills, you may not be very inspired.
So How Can You Renew Your Creative Energy?
Write At Absolute TOP SPEED—Make a commitment to write. If you talk about writing, read about writing, go to writing meetings but you don’t write very much, your creative energy gets used up in the wrong places. Write. Write every day as much as you can. When you are STALLED, take baby steps. Are you sure you’ll never be able to write anything creative again? Write one sentence. Not the whole novel, article or story. Just one sentence. Now go nurture that quiet voice that wants to create.
Tell The Critical Voice To Shush
When you create your inner editor will try to interfere. So will daily activities and many other distractions. Don’t let that critical voice slow you down. Don’t be afraid to waste words—we’ll make more! The potter knows that he can always make another pot. Learn to love the process. Even if you throw away a whole day’s work, you’re that much closer to refining your ideas and you’ve dared to explore new ways of writing.
Exercise Your Mind And Body
When you are uptight, self-conscious and fearful, it shows in your body and in your writing. Stretch at your desk to loosen up tense muscles and think positively about your God-given talents.
TAKE A RISK Try to have fun with it! Learn the value of play: Jung said, “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” Jean Huston said, “At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.” Dare to be goofy now and then.
Write With Passion If you don’t care much about what you write no one else will care either. By writing from deep within, you will be more likely to grab your readers. In The Creative Brain, Ned Herrman says, “Creative people live as if there were no tomorrow, which is part of what enables them to be passionate about today.”
Plug Into The “Source” Daily. A great friend of mine has observed that, “The universe was created with words.” Ask God every day for the words you need.
Creativity Workshop Quotes
Painting is just another way of keeping a diary. --Pablo Picasso
At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities. --Jean Houston
The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves. --C.G. Jung
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he/she grows up. --Pablo Picasso
The mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible. --Oscar Wilde
We have, been taught to believe that negative equals realistic and positive equals unrealistic. --Susan Jeffers
To live our creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. --Joseph Chilton Pearce
Labels: quotations, writing
POSTED BY NATALIE MARIE KLEIN @ 8:40 PM links to this post