Books to Bring out the Creative Writer in You
I haven’t talked a whole lot about my writing on this blog. I’m not entirely sure why. I am still exploring my own personal writing process, especially with blogging, and I guess I’m just not ready to expose myself in such a vulnerable state. I’ve always hated exposing any of my vulnerabilities. But, that’s a whole different therapy session in itself.
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I often have this love/hate relationship with my own writing. I know that when I sit down in front my iBook with the intention of pounding out the next story, blog post or rant on my unduly-broken-in keyboard, the words will come. If I just sit down, type and ignore the backspace key for one round, I will find that moment of comfort where all is truly right with the world. I am writer, hear me roar!
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, what sounds like the easiest part is often the hardest for me: getting my butt in that chair and deciding to write. Can you relate? Do you just need a little jump start of inspiration sometimes? Boy, do I ever.
I find my inspiration from all sorts of sources, but I’ve found the best spark for the writer in me comes from books - not blogs, online articles or magazines - but books. I think it’s because I’ve always had this appetite for them. The content and contruction of books make this amazing little package that fits in your hands, is perfect to curl up to and reaches so many different people in so many completely different ways. I can’t wait to write my first one.
Here are five books that are truly special to me. During those times I’m fighting the thought of that computer chair, I can always count on these little packages to deliver.
1. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron - No mistake that I stuck this book at number one. The first time I worked through this book was in high school, and I’ve done it two or three times since. Each time gets more rewarding. Cameron has the most beautiful and gentle way of giving you a swift kick in the ass when it comes to using your creativity. Just writing these few sentences about the book, makes me itch to start the process again. I believe I just might.
2. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - Shitty first drafts, broccoli and index cards. If you are confused by any of these, you must immediately drop what you are doing (well after you finish reading my post :)), and go get this book. Lamott is a pistol with a pen, a poet with poise. From the book’s intro on writing: “It’s like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony.”
3. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert - A mix of grace, wit and that I’d-love-to-have-a-beer with you quality, Gilbert invites the reader to share in one of the most deeply personal experiences in her life. As she makes a major life change, she travels to Italy, Indonesia and India, and brings you along as she immerses herself in all three extremely different cultures. I guarantee Gilbert’s journey to rekindle her passion for life will ignite some kind of passion in you. I’m also totally jealous of her experiences from this book, by the way.
4. A Writer’s Time by Kenneth Atchity - Published in 1986, this is one of those books that will matter and mean something ten years or one hundred years from now. Atchity explores the creative process of writing, and offers poignant advice on all the steps in it. This book may be a little less “touchy-feely” than the ones I’ve listed so far, but its value is no less.
5. The Right to Write by Julia Cameron - Yep, another J.C. book. She’s just too wonderful. This book is not nearly as well-known as The Artist’s Way, but I love it just as much. She talks about quite a few of the same concepts from it, but here she explores them much more deeply. Some passages in this book I need only think about for a split second and I find that desire to write, and to be a writer….
“In a sense, our creativity is none of our business. It is a givin, not something to be aspired to. It is not an invention of our ego. It is, instead, a natural function of our soul. We are intended to breathe and to live. We are intended to listen and create. We do not need special pens. We do not need special rooms or even special times. What we do need is the intention to allow creativity to create through us. When we open ourselves up to something or someone greater than ourselves working through us, we paradoxically open ourselves to our own greatest selves.”
7 Soul-Searching Solutions for Satisfaction: An Introspective Path For Creative Development
“If you want to work on your art,
work on your life.”
-- Anton Chekhov --
One of the biggest mistakes people make as they venture into any kind of creative life is opting for a path that ultimately leaves them winding through unnecessary twists and turns, struggling to make it to their destination. The path to creativity is straight and smooth, and truly is an enjoyable process - enjoyable, that is, IF you understand the importance of some kind of basic map to help chart your journey. First and foremost, you must internalize the plans for a creative expedition, before you can ever hope to see them materialize.
{1} Shut Up and Listen to Yourself.
This may sound a bit on the schizophrenic side of things, but makes total (and rational) sense when you start to practice it.
Think of a time when you set out to create something - writing or painting or sewing - and you found yourself at serious crossroads. All the effort in the world, and still you got stuck in a rut. Next time, don’t try so hard.
The Crafty Conduit
As a writer, if I insist on too much control over the words I put down on my paper, my story will end up just as strained and as unnatural as I feel after such a tense process for writing.
To break free from this inhibited, self-conscious attitude, it is necessary to check your ego at the door. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to soak up the experiences around you and just listen. Your artistic craft becomes an exercise in revelation, a genuine vehicle for creative self-expression.
{2} No Debbie Downers Allowed
Once you’ve allowed yourself to ditch the self-important tone, the stream of possibilities and ideas will flow mightily. Don’t let the experience be overwhelming for you - be prepared.
With so many ideas freely flowing, you have to remember to let them do exactly that: flow freely. Don’t try and make sense of the creative brainstorm by trying to polish as you go. You might end up buffing out a thought that had more potential than any of those you kept - you just to didn’t give it the chance to develop.
I have to say it to myself over and over again, but it always helps me settle into the best creative mindset: “In order to be a good writer, I have to be willing to be a bad writer.” (Julia Cameron)
{3} Keep Your Heart Full of Patience
Knock out steps 1 and 2, and you’ve already made major progress on your creativity trek - you’re opening yourself to listen more than you dictate and direct, and you’ve become a true vehicle for self-expression. So, why in the hell do you feel like everything you’ve created is one grade above absolute crap?
Patience, my young Paduan.
I’m preaching patience? Man, I’m so not good at that one.
We all long to be swept away by our own creativity — enraptured by the process. I know I do. And, occasionally we do find ourselves blessed with these divine moments, but most of the time our best work does not come in one fell swoop with a pretty bow to tie everything together.
{4} Save the Drama for Your Mama - Then Use It
Cell phones, email, codependent family members, friends who think you’re Dr. Phil, deadlines, whining children, whining spouses — we have to combat quite a bit of noise in everyday life. Often, you’ll find it way too easy to let yourself be consumed by all the drama.
Instead, let the drama consume the keys as you type, the brush as you paint, the guitar as you compose.
Drama is often our excuse for avoiding creative action. That’s why it’s essential for you to make a conscious commitment: creativity now, drama later.
{5} Broccoli and Rock Stars are Key
Did I throw you for a loop on the title for this one?
This is something that I’ve posted about in the past - Anne Lamott’s concept for rediscovering how to listen to your own intuition and silence your inner critic. By continuing to ignore your broccoli and your rock star, your creativity will be shackled to the wall until you relinquish some control.
{6} Pay Attention to the World Around You
People who live creative lives are often some of the most curious souls you will encounter. They crave knowledge about anything and everything. And, as they collect these bits of input with each day and each new encounter, they gradually build up this eclectic grab bag to draw from in their own creativity.
In Jack Foster’s “How To Get Ideas,” his advice is to buy a notebook, not loose notebook paper, but a ledger that has more of a sense of permanence to it:
Then every day write in it something you’ve seen. Every day. It doesn’t make any difference what you see; only that you see something and record it…When your ledger is full, then sit down and read it. The start filling up another one. And another one. And another one. For the rest of your life.
{7} Have Fun Storming the Castle
Make everyday a fresh, new, exhilarating, crazy-scary, unique, fun adventure. Monotony and predictability stifle creativity. In fact, they are in mutually exclusive categories. If you run from a little randomness in your life, it becomes so difficult embrace creativity.
Attitude is everything. If you’re not having fun, then why are you here?
"I’m Just Not a Creative Person" — Round 2
Yesterday, I decided the “I’m not creative” excuse just won’t fly with me any more. It’s incredibly frustrating, that no one bothered to tell these people that they absolutely DO have creative ability.
There’s no predetermined process or user manual I can give you with pretty diagrams that will instruct you on how to tap into your creative potential.
What I CAN give you is this: the most important step you will take in any creative journey. I consider it essential. And, it will bring you One Step Closer to Your Creative Breakthrough.
You must learn to LET GO (Hey, I never said it was an easy one).
{1} You must let go of the fear of being wrong.
{2} You must let go of the need to control every little detail.
Perfectionism - it’s at the root of both of these things.
An obsession with perfection can be fatal to your creativity. It wreaks major havoc on passionate energy, refreshing spontaneity and any kind of productivity.
In her book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron writes…
Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves,, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough — that we should try again. No we should not.
Contrary to popular belief, perfectionism does not move closer what is “right.” In fact, perfectionism stops us dead in our tracks, and our creativity stops right along with it.
We are harder on ourselves than anyone else could ever be - our own worst critic. We have so much trouble giving ourselves permission to fail. Don’t you forgive your spouse or a friend when they screw up? Of course you do - they’re human. Um, HELLO! You’re human too. We were still an imperfect species last time I looked it up.
Broccoli and Rock Stars: Learning to Rely on Your Intuition
If you have even the slightest desire to to be a writer, take up a habit of journaling or simply improve the way you write out your grocery list, you must immediately buy AND read Ann Lamott’s Bird by Bird.
I promise you, before you finish the first chapter (maybe even earlier, before you finish the introduction), Ms. Lamott will strike your soul that little nerve that tingles in your foot when it falls asleep, and makes you want to get up an dance it out. Only instead of dancing, you’ll want to write it out - write it all out.
After some struggles with my writing over the past few days, I pulled this off the shelf today, hoping for some inspiration. Ms. Lamott smacked me across the face with it. My wake-up call came from a chapter that falls right in the middle of Bird by Bird; it’s entitled “Broccoli.”
She discusses how an old Mel Brooks’ routine became a concept she uses to help remind her students to listen to their intuition. “Listen to your broccoli, and your broccoli will tell you how to eat it.”
It’s that voice little voice inside you, the one that you have learned to ignore more easily as you transitioned into “adulthood.”
You need your broccoli in order to write well, Lamott writes. Otherwise you’re going to sit down in the morning and have only your rational mind to guide you.
In taking a step closer to trusting my intuition, I took Anne’s advice, and developed my own metaphor to represent my broccoli.
My Rock Star
My Rock Star knows it all because she’s not a people pleaser. Can you even be a people pleaser with pink hair? Probably not, and that’s why the ponytail that sits high on her head and off to the right side rocks the hottest pink you’ve ever seen. My Rock Star lives in the moment, letting her passion lead the way. She has no trouble letting go and doesn’t worry about a missed note here and there.After all that’s why we’ve got producers and an editing room.
What’s a metaphor that suits your intuition?
