I Wrote That! Chapter Two

Creativity and You

Chapter Two. Are You Creative?

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” -Ernest Hemingway

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Everyone is Inventive and capable of Creativity. Whether you’re a budding architect trying to get a break or a bricklayer, or anything in between, we all have minds geared to making things look nicer. In other words, we’re all creative. For example:

A housewife who looks over her living room and changes the entire color scheme. She even puts up new paintings.

A teenager becomes bored with his yellow Camaro. He adds gusts of fire to the sides.

A seven-year-old takes out a blue piece of paper for an assignment instead of the white one the teacher requested.

All these aspects are instances of creative flashes, whether the person implemented them or they have someone else do it for them.

Image Infoby StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

If you are thinking of becoming a Writer, the creative spark is already inside you. Look back over your list from Writing Challenge #1. If you have at least one idea, you can Create. Let’s delve into this even deeper, shall we?

Have you ever read a book and thought of a different, perhaps better, ending for it?

How many times have you watched a movie and found the ending or some part of the story unsatisfying?

Have you been in the middle of binge-watching an entire season of a television show and thought about where you would take the storyline or what you would have the characters do to fix things?

Did you like any of your ideas better than the author’s or the high-paid writers hired by the film and television studios?

Congratulations! You are Creative!

Now, down to business. You have been asking yourself some questions.

What can I do  with this creative spark?

How do I nurture this seedling of genius?

Do I have what it takes to finish a story?

What do I write?

Before you panic, let’s take a step back. If you like to take apart films and television shows to make them better, keep doing it. It feeds what some writers call The Muse, a tiny imp in constant contact with your mind. Your use of these ideas nourishes the Muse and gives you inspiration. Ignore your Muse, and she’ll go elsewhere, and your inspirations will dry up. Silly? Not to me.

Take the time to be aware of how the story develops, or how the characters interact with the plot elements as they come into the story. See if you can identify the turning point in the story when the film has progressed to a point where the ending is inevitable. Does it end the way you thought it would? If not, think back to where the film made a turn towards the ending it has. This strengthens your creative spark.

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Writing Challenge #2.

Make a list of your 50 favorite films. It can give you a good idea of the sort of stories you might like to write. This is an interesting exercise, and I do it every few years. This has the benefit of giving me an idea of my current storytelling interests.

Writing Assistant #2.

Keep a diary of story elements you find interesting. These can be characters, plot points, turning points, and even a setting that spurs on the action.