Writers Who Write Too Much: A Creativity Primer

by Louise Rousseau
 

Are you living off your writing skills? If so, you should be proud. But the writing that keeps your fridge full may not feed your soul. Maybe you’re working on an annual report, but would like to write a screenplay. Or you’re a reporter pursuing news stories while dreaming of penning poems.   

You recognize that what you’re currently writing is not the best outlet for your creativity. But when you get home after a day filled with meetings and memos, you may not feel like logging in another three hours at the computer to write your next masterpiece. Your day job pays the bills, but it also kills your drive.   

It’s hard to write stellar poems when you feel like a dishrag. Or to chip away at a potential bestseller when your mind’s clouded with corporate groupthink.  

Fostering creativity in such circumstances is like starting a fire with wet wood. It won’t ignite unless you feed it lots of little dry bits you’ve collected here and there. At first, you won’t get a bonfire, just flickers. And it will take hard work to keep these flickers alive. But with patience and perseverance, you can do it. Here’s how:  

Keep a Creativity Journal  

You’ve heard about journaling. People keep journals in their night table. They write in them to complain about their bosses or record the vicissitudes of their love life. Sort of like cheap therapy.   

That’s good, but that’s not what a creativity journal is about. First of all, a creativity journal must travel with you at all times. Leaving it in your night table is a big no-no. Ideally, you want to be able to slip your journal in your pocket or your purse. It has to be there when fancy hits.   

A creativity journal is where you collect little pieces of dry wood for your fire: Wild ideas that pop up in the middle of a meeting, quick sketches of interesting people you meet, wry commentaries, quotes that inspire you, fleeting metaphors that bumble in your mind unaware, snatches of conversation in the coffee room, weird dreams you have at night, smashing first lines for your next article, and so on.   

You know that if you don’t write these things down, they’ll just vanish. You won’t remember them. They’ll be gone!  

So start now. Your boss will think you’re taking notes. Your family will assume you’re writing lists. A few people may decide you’re crazy, but who cares? They’re probably right. Most writers are deranged. It’s a job requirement.  

Create an Attitude Board  

Now, don’t deny it. You have an attitude. Why not let it show?   

All you need to create your own attitude board is a large cork board, scissors and thumbtacks. Every day, you come across pictures, ads, quotes, cards, mementoes, photographs that appeal to you or mean something special. Cut them out. Pin them on your board. Soon, you’ll find out that every time you look at it, the board will have stories to tell. Feelings to arouse. Messages to broadcast. That board will have an attitude. It’ll be your attitude board.  

Put the board in a place where you’ll see it often. Add to it. Remove what is no longer meaningful. Let the board inspire you. Like your creativity journal, your attitude board will yield lots of dry wood chips when you’re ready to start a blaze.  

If you want to write a larger piece like a novel or a play, you may even consider creating attitude boards for your characters. That’s an excellent way to make them come alive and flesh out their personalities.  

Keep Files of Clippings  

Clippings are like booklets of matches. Collect them. They’re free. And you just don’t know what kind of fires they’ll set. 

Odd news items, beautiful poems, magazine articles, funky ads, funny cartoons. Clip anything that moves you to tears or laughter. Anything on a topic you’re passionate about. Anything that makes you want to write.   

Before you file your clippings, take the time to note where they come from. This may prove invaluable information later on.   

If you read something in a book you’d like to add to your collection, photocopy it and jot down the relevant bibliographical information, including page numbers.   

Confirmed clipping collectors often have several files. You can organize your clippings by topic or by source. If organizing them is beyond you, just stick them all in a large envelope and have a field day when you go fishing through the pile.
  

Seek New Experiences  

You’ve never visited a courthouse? Never had a facial? Never eaten enchiladas? Why not try it now?   

Exotic experiences give you new eyes, new energy, new excitement. They fire a whole new set of neurons in your brain. They tickle your senses and boost your creativity.   

New experiences don’t have to cost a lot. They’re available near you. Just use your imagination and dare to try.
  

Discipline Yourself  

Now you’re going to say, "Yeah, but after I do all these things, I still haven’t written a word!" You’re right.   

Of course, your next book or hypertext CD-ROM won’t appear by magic. You still will have to work at it. But to start, you need motivation. Inspiration. Stimulation. That’s exactly what the creativity journal, attitude board, clippings files and new experiences are meant to provide.   

Then, you’ll need discipline. Schedule a time to write and stick to it. You don’t feel like it? Too bad! Do it anyway! With all the material you’ve gathered, chances are that when you sit at your computer, you won’t stare at the white screen for hours. You’ll have more than enough ideas bubbling on the back burner. Soon, you’ll look forward to this opportunity to write to your heart’s content.  

The key to success is to have realistic expectations. If you put in a full week at work, you may not be able to give more than a few hours to your own writing. Don’t expect to wrap up a book in two months. Take it easy. One chapter, story, poem, scene, article at a time.   

You may have so much fun, you’ll quit your day job. 

-- LR
©2000 Louise Rousseau