Directory Writing Workshops

Writers Workshop: The Wonder of Creativity

Dancing Word Writers Workshop

With Janet Chester Bly

 January 28, 2002

Hosted by: Anne McDonald

Dancing Word Publisher/Editor

*This chat has been edited for clarity

Anne McDonald: I will open in prayer, then go over protocol. Lord, thank You for Your abundant grace this week. Please be with us tonight as we learn more about writing. Bless Janet as she teaches us. Guard and guide our conversation. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Protocol reminder...type ! for comments, ? for questions and ga for "go ahead" when you are finished, please wait to be called on in turn.

Tonight, it is my pleasure to introduce a fabulous writer. Janet Chester Bly has many fiction and non-fiction books under her belt and she is going to share some of her wisdom with us tonight... Janet, welcome (turns floor over to Janet)

JanetCBly: Greetings! HOW DO WE GET OUR CREATIVE PROCESS WORKING? Our greatest block to creativity is ourselves--lack of confidence, fear of our peers, lack of follow-through, unwilling to look foolish, dread that we're not good enough. Anxiety of producing something less than perfect squelches the potential for producing anything at all. The process of creating requires PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE and ignoring grousers. Creative people need cheerleaders, not naysayers.

Too much critiquing, especially in the early stages of writing, freezes the flow. Too much talking about it, too soon, stunts the surge. Prudent writers learn when to present their works for public view and when to keep them hidden. Creativity, that is, introducing something new out of your mind, invites the criticism or analysis of "why it won't work."

All life is confrontation and the stress of opposites. But then, the best creativity often grows out of friction and conflict. And one practical and positive observation by a faithful reader can make the whole thing workable. The creative enter the field of competition, whether they want to or not. We have to be willing to briefly suspend all the laws of the universe and entertain a lot of ideas THAT MAY NOT WORK. Then, we may have to stop thinking about a multitude of things and focus instead on one particular something: i.e. a character, a scene, a theme sentence.

We prepare ourselves to persevere through hours of agonizing fumbling in the process of writing. We pay attention to our puniest ideas because they may lead to bigger ones. For some of us, creativity happens best when there's a problem to solve or a deadline to meet. Crisis helps us create. For some it happens simply because of our obsession and dogged endurance to make it appear. For some it intrudes like a rude neighbor, when we're taking a well-deserved nap or in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Others need specific steps, such as 1.) FIND YOUR CREATING SPOT. A desk, a table, an easy chair, a garden or park, getting in the shower or tub. For me, taking a walk with a notebook is the best way to set my mind free for creating. Agatha Christie confessed she got her best ideas when her hands were deep in soapy dish water.

Janet Chester Bly