Power Writing and Creativity 3: The Second Three Keys
Ta-da: the next three keys to ceaseless creativity (Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Ceaseless. Creativity. Isn’t that what we all crave? Well, besides the usual other suspects. Which, come to think of it, generally distract us from ceaseless creativity. Ah well, one cannot live by creativity alone. Though one can try. Until one gets hungry….for any number of things.
Enough. Here are the next three keys.
4. Just Do It.
This goes hand in hand with Key #3: Do It Badly. The truth of the matter is, you gotta just do it. And do it again and again. It is that simple and that difficult. Sometimes just doing it is the easiest thing in the world, and sometimes it is the hardest. I do not know why this is so. Sometimes I wring my hands and emote and pace and get down on my hands and knees and scrub the floor, all in an attempt to not just do it. And then when I finally get around to doing it, I wonder why on earth I whined and moaned for so long. Because once I’m in the middle of doing it, I love it more than anything on earth. So why I have to re-convince myself to go back to it over and over again, I do not know. If this happens to you, take heart and know that it is normal, at least in the realm of writer normal. Which, I have to say is not the same as normal normal, if you know what I mean.
5. Process, Not Product
When my daughter was getting her post-bacc certificate in photography, which was close to getting a MFA, this was one of her mantras. It has always been one of my mantras, too, and I have the hand-painted pillow to prove it. I actually wrote about this in another post recently, but it is such a bedrock tenet of creativity that I have to mention it again. Just remind yourself that it is not about the finished product, it is about the process of doing it. It really is. Trust me. Ironically, by focusing on the process, you’ll end up with a much better product. It’s another one of those mysterious creativity things. I don’t pretend to understand them, I just obey them.
6. Do The Work, Don’t Judge It
Goes along with #5. If you are focused on product while you are in the process of writing, you are likely to be judging it. Don’t do that. Just do the work. It is akin to learning to be in the moment. I will confess here that I am a meditation slacker (I know, I know, I’ve got a slacker list a mile long–Buddhism and yoga and meditation being tops on it. What does that say about me?). But when it comes to writing, there’s nothing I love better than kicking into that flow and being so in the moment that time passes without me even noticing it. That is only possible, my friends, when you are in the moment, one with the words, and Not Judging them. Judging is for later. Its hell when its judging time, but we are not talking about that now.
Stay tuned. On Monday I will present three more Keys to Creativity.
Danielle
I am a fan of honest writing too – where you just write and don’t worry about the “consequences”. There are some writers who stress over form and what others will think, but it is really special to be among that select few that writes first, thinks later. I think it makes for a much more genuine reading experience as well.
Great tips! I enjoy this series you are writing.
lizzie2uk
Yes, I agree, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, as long as you are true to yourself.
‘I would rather write for myself and have no public, than write for the public and have no self.’
Charlotte
Thanks Danielle. And I love that quote, Lizzie.
Maybe we bloggers are more apt to be true to ourselves in our writing, because if we aren’t, then what’s the point? Of course, that could or at least should be true of most other writing, too. But the pressures of the market may tend to dilute it. Ugh, that’s a depressing thought. Thank God for blogs.
Suzanne Peters
Charlotte,
Boy are you right on on all counts. Especially the judging part. As a photographer I am often hard on myself. Then sometimes I go back over photos I’ve rejected and find some gems. Ones that have sold over and over and at first I discarded — read judged unworthy. Thank you for reminding me.
Suzanne
Charlotte
Hey Suzanne,
I think all of us creative people are WAY too hard on ourselves on a regular basis. I’ve found the same thing in my writing–pieces I thought were “nothing” are consistently the ones that people respond to.
Charlotte
Power Writing and Creativity 2: The First Three Keys | Charlotte Rains Dixon
[…] those are the first three keys. I’ll have the next three for you on Friday. See you then–and if anyone has any tips or thoughts about creativity, feel […]
Power Writing and Creativity Finale: The Last Three Keys | Charlotte Rains Dixon
[…] Part Three […]