creative process
October 1, 2009
- As I am working on my novel, I find myself playing the story out like a movie in my head and doing my best to describe or narrate that movie to the reader. It seems to be my preferred process for transferring my story to paper, but I was curious to know how other writers attack the same task. What is your process? What method do you find best to rip the story out of your mind and dictate it ...
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September 2, 2009
- Most books on creativity describe the creative process as a solitary and isolated endeavor. Creativity is something we do alone. It requires total engagement in the process. The creative state is one that is similar to a meditative trance, in that the artist becomes unaware of his or her surroundings and is free of external judgment and self-evaluation. This space has been called by such names as ...
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August 17, 2009
- Alright, so my first novel hasn't been published - yet. (I got my first rejection from a publisher today, fact fans!) But I figured, hell, why let that tiny fact dissuade me from embarking on a second?Towards the end of my first novel, the idea for the second came uninvited into my head one day on the way to work, and yes, you're right, I should have been concentrating on the road rather than ...
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July 15, 2009
- I've been consorting with gods and goddesses during my teaching leave this spring. No, I'm not certifiable. I find a shimmer of divinity and archetypal movement in many of my writer friends. What I don't find, I invent. I listen for whispered conversations, for love notes between Orpheus and Euridice, Dante and Beatrice. And without the busy-busy sounds of the office to drown them out, ...
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May 10, 2009
- Following on from my blogs about 'Being a writer's husband' and 'Being a writer's husband at booksignings', I thought I'd post about the tough part of being an observer standing on the outside of a creative process. Over the years I’ve watched Gina ‘create’ through writing, drawing, painting and any other media that happens to be on hand. I’ve watched her (not over her shoulder!) make ...
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May 6, 2009
- I’m torn over this one because I probably like this video more than the song. But I have to give Ms. Imbruglia credit for being a good sport and not a bad mime. Do you know this song and video? More than a million viewsWhat is the Mystery Song Challenge? It’s just simple fun. Music is a big part of the writing process. This is evidenced by the mile long favorite song threads that I find in ...
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May 4, 2009
- Originally written by Prince, this song was revived by an Irish woman in 1990. That year, nothing compared and the song became her most famous. The album it was from also became one of 1990s world best sellers. It’s been said that the song is a tribute to her mother who died in a car accident.Do you know this hit?Powerful StuffWhat is the Mystery Song Challenge? It’s just simple fun. Music is ...
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April 29, 2009
- Last night I stayed up way too late participating in a forum. The topic was probably the best one the I’ve ever seen started by writers. It was about pulling lines from your book. As I began to see entries of first, favorite, saddest and last lines from people’s books, I realized that most of these lines could stand alone and still be breathtaking, horrifying, even quotable. It made me ...
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April 29, 2009
- This really beautiful song may need a bigger hint. It’s a folk song made popular by the movie O 'Brother Where Art Thou. There were a lot of songs about death on the soundtrack but this story is told from the perspective of a dying child.I often listen to this song during the creative process to bring me closer to death. I recently used it to write a scene where a person was taking care of a ...
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April 27, 2009
- This happy little protest song made the charts in 1971. I remember the shock of hearing “I’ll be damned” on the radio, but the song was so delightful that I couldn’t help singing along. ‘Weather’ or not it’s appropriate for this video to celebrate Jeeps 60th anniversary doesn’t matter, it’s still a good commercial.How much does a Jeep cost these days?What is the Mystery Song ...
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