The Writers’ Nook is a place where we, as a group, can provide a safe and positive environment in which to encourage one another and hone our own writing skills.
The Nature of Creativity in Writing
It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what is creativity, who are creative writers, and what is creative literature. If you write, exactly what does it mean to say that you demonstrate creativity or write creatively? Why are you creative? What is it that makes you so?
Say you’re an author who’s produced a body of creative literature, exactly what does it mean to say that your works are creative as a whole? Why is one body of work more creative than another that you’ve also produced? Or why is your body of work less creative than another author’s body of work?
Let’s look first at the question: What is Creativity?
This meeting will be held via zoom at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 Blind Bay Time (aka Vancouver Time). If you would like to join our group, please contact us. Your first meeting is free.
Your Challenge
This meeting will be held via zoom at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 Blind Bay Time (aka Vancouver Time). If you would like to join our group, please contact us. Your first meeting is free.
The Challenge
Your challenge before our next meeting on April 6th is to answer the question, “What is Creativity” by writing an essay or even just a blub that describes something you’ve done that you feel was a good example of being creative — whether it was something written, or visually artistic, or being creative in the workplace or the home. How did it ‘creatively’ fulfill the goal you were trying to achieve?
Alternatively, write about something that someone else has done that’s a good example of ‘creativity.’
Responses
My Creative Solution by Joyce Adrian Sotski
Sarah by Tom Wainwright
Creativity by Marilyn McAllister
Impossible Says Who? by Kevin Gooden
The Collective Unconscious by Marilyn McAllister
Touching the Edge by Shirley Bigelow DeKelver
Poems by Phillis Jeffery
Additional
Creativity Quotes found and provided by Karen Lesli
I plan to provide my feedback on the writing, not on the perceptions of the word ‘creative’. I have come to the conclusion that the definition of ‘creative’ is subjective. Your definition of this word is between you, your internal dictionary and your own interpretation of it. By reading each others‘ ideas and definitions, we can open our minds to each others’ perspectives. I’d like to assume there is no right or wrong.
Joyce,
I loved your truly creative story. You found yourself in a situation that demanded a new solution. You identified your goal, measured the problems, and created a new and inovative solution. You drew on concepts for which there was as yet no apparent association with the times in which you were living. This is the epitome of the creative process as I see it; see a need, identify current a lack of solutions, draw upon that inner ‘something’ that we all have, and create a unique and as of yet unavailable solution.
And, I like your use of color to enhance your presentation and your story. Well done!
Tom
Commenting on my own story first, haha! The way creativity was fulfilled was when I turned the problem around and thought about it in a different way, a way no one else had. By considering the phone users as being hearing impaired when they really weren’t, I was able to locate a product that met the need. Ironically, the product was intended for hearing impaired people, and was creative in itself. Getting the phone shipped to me for free (when they were worth about $1000) also took on-the-fly creative thinking—I decided to appeal to the thought the company might sell MANY phones, which they eventually did. By the way, I was never billed for the first phone!
Marilyn,
Your example is a perfect example of creativity. There will be no other piece of jewlery that is the same as this one. Not now, nor in the past, not ever. You let the stone talk to you and ‘imagined’ the perfect setting for that little beauty of a polished, personally found gem.
Kevin
As Thomas Edison said, Creativity is 10% inspiration, and 90% persperation. Your creative solution seems to fit those statistics. And yes in my opinion the solution was a perfect example of creativity. Good on ya!
On the topic of creativity:
”A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.”
— Antoine St. Exupery
Tom: I thoroughly enjoyed your story and was immediately immersed in the location you so descriptively revealed. We are surrounded by creativity and creative people, and having the experience of encountering artists fills our lives with purpose. You are a very talented writer.
Joyce: Your essay is, as usual, well written and informative. I found your technical solution innovative and creative.
Kevin: I can never fault your writing, and when your assignment as a new employee was perceived as being impossible, those were fighting words. You found a solution, anxiously waiting for the next assignment. I myself have this trait, and I understand your drive to prove your abilities. Good on you.
Marilyn: Your poetry is always thought-provoking, I usually read it at least three times to fully absorb your words.
I told you above that I wouldn’t comment on everybody’s perception of creative, but somehow I can’t leave the topic of ‘creative’ alone so…
Tom, Sarah: I think you came up with a great story to explain your perception of creative; the idea of doing that is, in itself, creative. My mind keeps going back to James in your story. What exactly is he doing? He pretends to photograph the boats but in reality he’s intent on shooting Michael working on his painting. I keep going back to my own history in painting. I painted a series of windows, from inside looking out, outside looking in, thinking of the different atmospheres inside vs. outside — physical, emotional — including when those atmospheres became one as in broken windows. I entered one in a juried exhibition (click here: second from the top, left-hand side) and when the woman critiqued it she said, “Oh I get so tired of seeing old buildings reflected in new windows.” And I’d imagined myself doing a series of paintings that were creative and new!
So in James’s case, maybe he’s shooting a series of people while they’re engaged in doing what they love. Maybe James is capturing their expressions while they are so engrossed in their own work that they don’t even think about their own body, or the time, or even if they’re hungry. Maybe James is planning to mount an exhibition titled, “Engrossed” — now that could be creative! I don’t quite have a handle on whether Michael is creative or not. Sarah, yes, she probably composed/created her own melody, whether she did that on the spur of the moment or maybe it took her a few weeks to perfect, that doesn’t matter. I believe her work is creative.
Marilyn, Creativity: A lovely look at what it takes to turn a ‘stone’ into a piece of jewelry. I enjoyed reading about the process of creating it. You showed us all the decisions that need to be made! How much to polish before you’ve polished too much, deciding how to wrap the wire, and how to make it appear balanced and symmetrical. And I enjoyed the discussion of the ‘eye’ of the stone. There is so much knowledge and so many decisions that need to be made along the way to turn a little piece rock into a unique and valuable ‘new’ object.
Kevin, Impossible Says Who?: I enjoyed your essay. You did a great job of stating the facts and making your case. I think that you forgot one creative person in who’s lurking just OUTSIDE your story. That would be the unknown person who thought of the idea of ‘bone induction.’ What a concept! How creative that person or those persons who thought of that, and then found a way to implement it. Wow.
Marilyn, The Collective Unconscious: I really enjoyed your poem and I enjoyed the fact that you used the subject matter of the poem, creativity, to describe your perception of creativity. I think the first time I became conscious of that shift from left brain to right brain, was in a class when someone was teaching, using a visual drawing exercise, how to identify the ‘feeling’ of that shift in your mind. Now I also feel it sometimes when I’m writing or sometimes when I’m trying to figure out the solution to a problem, those sparks of imagination, sorting through ideas in my mind, rejecting some and keeping others. Well done.
Shirley, Touching the Edge: I enjoyed your story and I believe it’s important information for, especially young people, to understand. Your story came through as real and true, and while I ‘the reader’ understood logically, I wanted to feel emotion. The only suggestion I have might be to bring the senses into the story. The sense of touch, what did it feel like to Chloe when Jason held her tightly? What did he smell like? And when he whispered in her ear, did she feel his breath on her ear or did his breath move her hair? Also when you say she ‘felt numb inside’ or ‘her heart ripped in half’, is there a way to induce the reader to actually feel emotion? Everything else felt real, even the way they spoke to one another felt real.
Phillis, Poems: I like that feeling of having to ‘read around the words’ as you call it. I think it encourages your readers to be attentive because they’re forced to think in order to understand. And I love your metaphors, they’re very creative and make me want to utilize my imagination.
PHILLIS: In as few words as possible, you create thought-provoking and creative, imaginative poetry. This is one of your strongest talents. Well done.
Joyce “My Creative Solution”—What a wonderful, interesting story and marvelous application of creativity. You invoked plenty of memories of my own experiences during that era, and it was insightful to see challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
Tom “Sarah”—Your descriptions dazzle! I enjoyed the collection of folks upon the bench and the thoughts regarding their activities versus creativity. One thing that confused me was the shift in perspective from third person to first person partway through the story. A scene separator character would quickly resolve that, however.
Marilyn “Creativity”—Lovely descriptions of the stone’s colouring and its affect on you. Interesting to hear about the process, and how the stone speaks to you (telltale sign of creativity). “The Collective Unconscious”—This poem is an excellent journey into meditation… when I woke up after reading it I wrote this description… but was more careful during my second read!
Shirley “Touching the Edge”—Of course I heard this at the coffee house already, but I find reading versus hearing quite different. This story is well written and is an important message about how quickly life’s priorities can shift. I agree it’s creative to write outside your normal sphere.
Phillis “Poems”—“Escape”—Love this thought, even though I rarely make it out of escape rooms, LOL. “Time”—A favourite topic, and you wrote it well, with some thought-provoking (and fun) lines.