Creative block

[isabeau6]

wwow thanks for that...my problem is i'm afraid that my writing as staled..that i cant' come up with new ideas...that i will become and have maybe already become repetitive...i have more stories i should post here for critiquing...and you will see that most run along the same idea...i need to change the format first and then i'll post them here...

[Rhabbi]

wwow thanks for that...my problem is i'm afraid that my writing as staled..that i cant' come up with new ideas...that i will become and have maybe already become repetitive...i have more stories i should post here for critiquing...and you will see that most run along the same idea...i need to change the format first and then i'll post them here...

Forgot who said it, but one author advised all writer's to be cruel to their characters. I know it is hard in a short story, but all my main charactors have a history. Try to imagine something in their past that affects the way they react to what is happening to them in your story.

[isabeau6]

Forgot who said it, but one author advised all writer's to be cruel to their characters. I know it is hard in a short story, but all my main charactors have a history. Try to imagine something in their past that affects the way they react to what is happening to them in your story.

ack....well i'll try..i have an imagination..a fairly active one at that..but, my creativity side of myself rather sucks...i have a really good friend who i proofread for..he is very young..and wow the things he can write are what basically decided me to quit trying..i mean he is like the Mozart of writing..constantly has ideas playing around in his head...i'm wondering if it's something you have to be born with...such as i was born with the talent for playing instruments, and maybe that's as far as my artistic streak should take me..last year was the very first time i ever attempted to write anything..and i've been an avid reader all my life..

thank you Rhabbi for that advice..i'll take it into account..

[anonymouse]

ack....well i'll try..i have an imagination..a fairly active one at that..but, my creativity side of myself rather sucks...i have a really good friend who i proofread for..he is very young..and wow the things he can write are what basically decided me to quit trying..i mean he is like the Mozart of writing..constantly has ideas playing around in his head...i'm wondering if it's something you have to be born with...such as i was born with the talent for playing instruments, and maybe that's as far as my artistic streak should take me..last year was the very first time i ever attempted to write anything..and i've been an avid reader all my life..

While it's true there are 'Mozarts' to be found in all fields of creative work, the concept of "artist as inspired madman" is a romantic notion from the nineteenth century. Writing is a craft that can be learned by any reasonably intelligent person, just as anybody can learn to play an instrument if they learn the rudiments and then 'play' with them. When my daughter first started to learn the violin her teacher said, "Your instrument is like a new puppy. You must play with it every day so you can get to know it and it can get to know you."

In a writing class I took many years ago, I remember being told that writers must write something every day. It doesn't have to be original or even 'creative'. For example, even just transcribing a few news articles from a newspaper is better than not writing anything at all. What is important is you regularly engage in the act of writing.

As for creative inspiration, Picasso used to begin every day by pressing a few ink blocks. While these could be quite 'artistic' in their own right, he used them as a tool to generate ideas. A similar tactic for a writer could be to skim through a dictionary and randomly select a dozen or so words and then write a paragraph for each. The beauty of working this way is we don't become so attached to what we write that we can't throw out ideas. It can be rationalized by saying 'it's only an exercise created from random words'. 'The trash can is your best friend'. Don't be afraid to throw out things when they're not working.

http://www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques

This site/wiki is aimed at business executives but you may find it as useful as I sometimes do. The following is another:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/charl...ve/index2.html

Googling "creativity techniques" will also return lots of good results.

I'll post a few more thoughts as I think of them.

[isabeau6]

While it's true there are 'Mozarts' to be found in all fields of creative work, the concept of "artist as inspired madman" is a romantic notion from the nineteenth century. Writing is a craft that can be learned by any reasonably intelligent person, just as anybody can learn to play an instrument if they learn the rudiments and then 'play' with them. When my daughter first started to learn the violin her teacher said, "Your instrument is like a new puppy. You must play with it every day so you can get to know it and it can get to know you."

In a writing class I took many years ago, I remember being told that writers must write something every day. It doesn't have to be original or even 'creative'. For example, even just transcribing a few news articles from a newspaper is better than not writing anything at all. What is important is you regularly engage in the act of writing.

As for creative inspiration, Picasso used to begin every day by pressing a few ink blocks. While these could be quite 'artistic' in their own right, he used them as a tool to generate ideas. A similar tactic for a writer could be to skim through a dictionary and randomly select a dozen or so words and then write a paragraph for each. The beauty of working this way is we don't become so attached to what we write that we can't throw out ideas. It can be rationalized by saying 'it's only an exercise created from random words'. 'The trash can is your best friend'. Don't be afraid to throw out things when they're not working.

http://www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques

This site/wiki is aimed at business executives but you may find it as useful as I sometimes do. The following is another:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/charl...ve/index2.html

Googling "creativity techniques" will also return lots of good results.

I'll post a few more thoughts as I think of them.

thank you those are very helpful suggestions and ideas..i'm going to have to read your stories..i''m sure you are a terrific writer..as i'm sure Rhabbi and Dragon's Muse are as well..i need to read theirs also...