The Creativity Process

Writing & the Creative Process, How and Why it Works

The above link will take you to an article on the Creativity Portal, written from a fiction writing perspective. But it’s food for thought - my thought, anyway.

I’m an analyst by trade - a test analyst, full of questions, and big on processes to get me to the answer. Having done that, encouraged that for twenty-odd years, it’s ingrained. Process is big for me.

I tried explaining that yesterday in a three hour interview with my social welfare assessor, as my family undergoes the “adoption process”. She wanted me to describe my personal strengths and weaknesses. Like many, I was quick off the mark towards weaknesses of those areas where I can be found to fall around. And ingrained with my previous career skills, it was a easy to suggest being an analyst as one of my strengths. She didn’t understand that strong focus, however, and you could see a dimness in her eyes as I tried to emphasise the strengths in that, sigh.

“Going back to my weaknesses, then…”, (why do they do that!?), “could I go into other weaknesses, please…”

“Erm, I worry too much?” I suggested tentatively.

“Oh yes, tell me about that”, she said, eyes sparkling with glee, pen poised over pad.

So we got into how I need to think over things that go wrong, how I need to think and stew and process things - “and then I come out of it, and everything is done!” I finished on what I thought was a very positive-spinning note - which she didn’t bother to write down, I noticed.

Key word - Process things. Process - it’s what makes me tick, it’s in my lifeblood. Analyse, think, process, end…

I would have thought it even more natural that I work this whole adoption process - but that appears to be a very different kettle of fish, and pretty much out of much of my control. But to order my world, I at least need to know that there is a common sense and order to things, even if I can’t work it out. I need the process.

Except, it seems - with something referred to as “The Creativity Process”.

Ah, how that grates against my very soul - to stick a “process” onto something that should be mucky and full of growth and weird and wonderful and completely out of control. Creativity, my soul cried - don’t try and control creativity, surely that will kill it.

After stewing for a minute or so over this term (see, I really do do this) I came to the realisation that - despite being a scholar of many how to write books lately - I had reverted back in thinking to how I successfully create in the scrapbooking or crafting dimension. The last time I bought or read an idea book on scrapbooking was well over a year ago.

For me, when creating a scrapbook layout, or mini-book or whatever, it’s about leaving it all to the mucky pool I think of as creativity. I even prefer to have a messy desk around me, to ensure there is no off-putting blank spaces. Processing a scrapbook layout, for me, just doesn’t work. It’s all about pure play, and little control other than that caused technically by memory or computer problems, materials available and external time commitments.

But for writing - although I believe in just getting in there and writing - which is to happen come the 1st of April for my novel in a month efforts, there is also a very considerable creative process. There are things to learn - and constantly learn - about characterisation, discovery, plotting, themes, sub-plots, layers of plot, dialogue, conflict, resolution, timelines, backstories, word-counts, oh - so much more.

The Writing Creativity Process also has the opposite, of course. It has the just-write (akin to Nike’s Just Do It, perhaps?) mandate, subscribed to by many, and not completely incompatible with the structured processes listed above. And it is as full of superstitions and mythicisms as any other creative endevour. In fact, there seem to be many writers out there who have symbols and artefacts they are reliant on for their writing, whether it be a desk, a lucky writing hat, or a quote or painting on the wall. Some can’t write unless enforced with double-strength coffee, or chocolate snacks, or perhaps even something harder still.

Those are things shared amongst creatives - I know of scrapbookers who must scrap with a plate of M&Ms on their desk. And others who have their photographs set out for days on end before they have planned the layout to surround them. Symbols, superstitions, tools, inspiration…somehow all seem part of a process I was unaware until now that I had welcomed into one part of my creative life.

 After all those swimming thoughts about a Creativity “Process” I read this actual article (link at top) to find the author suggests going with a much more free-form concept and really, to simply write from the unconcious, where the inner critic can not get to.

Although TAW calls it an inner critic, and for me - it is a male, definitely - I prefer, somehow, when thinking about writing, to call mine The Inner Editor. It just seems more process-orientated, don’t you think? More legitimate towards the external processes that wrap around that creative freedom found in just writing.