I’ve been thinking about creativity lately, especially creative writing.
I just finished reading Brene Brown’s books. Dr. Brown describes herself as a qualitative researcher and a storyteller. She interviews people and listens to their stories and analyzes what they tell her about specific topics and then comes up with different theories based on that analysis.
I love reading the results of her studies and I love reading about the studies themselves.
Recently I heard Dr. Brown speak and she backed up every claim she made with evidence from her research. I so admire that.
But, it’s hard to be creative when you’re trying to back up everything you write with evidence.
Maybe that’s why I’m so much more comfortable with writing nonfiction.
Yet I have a longing to write fiction. It’s been with me since I was a child and I want to honor that longing—I know it’s not going away.
And Brene Brown’s research shows that creativity is a necessary part of a “Wholehearted” life.
One of the things Brene found in her research (from The Gifts of Imperfection) was that there’s no such thing as “creative people and non-creative people. There are only people who use their creativity and people who don’t.”
I found this very encouraging. My creativity is there, I’m just not used to using it all the time—and I can practice!
The other statement that came out of Brene’s research on creativity that I found compelling was this one: “If we want to make meaning, we need to make art.”
I want to make meaning, we all do. So it’s okay to create art (not just nonfiction.)
After reading all this research, I’m now giving myself permission to take my time finding a new creative writing project. Since I finished and submitted my short story at the end of April, I’ve been floundering, feeling like I’m wasting time because I didn’t immediately dive into a new project.
“Wasting time” is only one way of looking at it. “Feeding the muse” is another way to look at it. Or, “preparing the ground,” as it’s gardening season.
Some ways I’m trying to develop my creativity:
- By using writing prompts daily,
- By writing “Shi***y First Draft” at the top of every new document (on the advice of Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird),
- By writing with an audience in mind made up only of people who love me and love whatever I write. (It really takes the pressure off.)
- By doing other creative projects that have nothing to do with writing (like calligraphy, which is technically writing, but you know what I mean!)
In just a couple of weeks, I feel more creative than I have in a long time. I’m waking up in the middle of the night to write down ideas and phrases that seem to come out of nowhere.
What do you do to develop your creativity?
Live to Write - Write to Live 
I read loads of other blogs to see what people write about. For my work I am on Pinterest way too much.
Hi Alynia,
Thanks for reading and sharing what you do to develop your creativity. I haven’t tried Pinterest but I’ve seen some fun “pins” from there on Facebook.
Happy writing!
Warmly,
Diane
Inspiring. Thank you.
I open my eyes, my ears, my heart.
Pictures, images, a sentiment, dialogues overheard, a word in a book, lyrics, a sound, a thought can make me creative.
Your words
They made me write this comment 😉
Hi juffiegelukkigonderweg,
Thanks for sharing your poetic response!
Happy writing!
Warmly,
Diane
A friend and fellow writer gave me Bird by Bird. I loved it. These are great tips. Thanks!
Hi Molly B and Me,
Isn’t Bird by Bird the best book?! I reread it every year or so. I’m glad you found the tips useful.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Warmly,
Diane
The discussion: What do you do to develop your creativity?
I keep hand piecing my word quilt and try to create a new one periodically. In the process I have learned to let go and embrace my work despite the imperfections. On the way I have met fellow bloggers and learn a technique or two. Thanks for this inspiring blog!
Hi its-about one thing,
What’s a word quilt? I’ve never heard of it. Embracing the imperfections is the way to go. I wrote this post because I realized a voice in my head kept telling me I needed to “back up” whatever I said in my stories. When I questioned that I realized that voice has really been holding me back!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Warmly,
Diane
You can read about my word quilt at
http://charuatmyniche.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/my-word-quilt/
Thank you!
Charu
Awesome post! I write music to ignite my creative senses. I also read books that inspire me to write. I read a lot of psychology books to help understand the human mind which helps in writing. Thanks for posting!
Hi pulpfictionme,
My son asks me to sing him a song every night and when I ask him which song, he usually gives me a prompt (like “a song about a garbage truck and a tractor”) and I make up a song. I never thought about it but that’s another way of developing my creativity. I make up a different song every night!
I read a lot of psychology, too, and I think it does help to write more believable characters. Plus I find it fascinating.
Thanks for sharing how you develop your creativity!
Happy writing!
Warmly,
Diane
that is awesome you sing to your son! My mom is a beautiful singer, but when I was younger I told her to stop singing she is hurting my ears lol look forward to reading more of your thought provoking pieces 🙂
I just recently read “The Gifts of Imperfection” and one if my favorite takeaways was: “Unused creativity doesn’t just disappear. It lives within us until it’s expressed, neglected to death, or suffocated by resentment and fear.” I love that and find it to be so true!
Hey Jennifer,
I agree. There are times when I do a lot of creative work (not just writing) and other times when I don’t–but the longer I don’t the more pressured I feel to do something creative. Luckily, my definition of creative work is more broad these days than it used to be. Cooking a new dish satisfies my creativity some days, other days I need to write something brand new to feel that I’m being creative.
Thanks for your comments and thanks for reading. Have you read Daring Greatly? It’s really good, too.
Warmly,
Diane
I read Daring Greatly and loved that as well!
Music, and reading other blogs :).
Issues that I’m passionate about develop my creativity! Some topics just help the words flow out so smoothly.
To re-engage my creativity, I did like you! I read Brene Brown, Anne Lamott, and a few others, like Julia Cameron (Cameron suggests Morning Pages and Artist Dates…) Good luck, have fun!
Wow those are great pieces of advice. The hardest thing for me is feeling like I’m wasting time. It feels like the muse always wants to come out and play but I don’t let it out enough. I’ll try to use your paradigm to ease that feeling.
Thanks so much.
A lot of times, what helps me is just to let it come naturally. Sometimes we all just need to take a break, y’know? Creativity’s no exception. Nothing gets the ideas flowing like a prompt return to more mundane tasks. 🙂
By writing with an audience in mind made up only of people who love me and love whatever I write. (It really takes the pressure off.) I like this idea. Take the judge out of the equation early on. Time for that later. I used to use “automatic writing” from Peter Elbow with my students and use it myself too. Nature helps me find my muse. As does pottery. Rather pottery is another creative outlet. This re-energizes my creative self.