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Friday, January 12, 2018

Creativity in Writing

Since writing is my new career (very part time), I have really become interested in creativity in writing. When I woke up this morning, I had no clear idea of what I wanted to write except for the topic. I knew that I would have ideas and that I would write something of value, to me if to no one else. I was singing a beautiful arrangement of  "True Light" which reminded me that I don’t have to solve all of the problems of the world today. My mom used to say, “Just be yourself,” as if I could be something other than self,  as if I could figure out which self to be. You can see how busy it is in my head most of the time.

I don’t usually have trouble thinking of things to write about (see first paragraph) but I do have trouble writing freely while the “editor” in my head is working. I missed “whole language” in school. Ours was the time of diagramming sentences and correcting spelling and grammar. Logical, clear, but not especially creative. I began writing term papers in high school and got pretty good at it in college. In graduate school, I was blessed with education projects for the classroom which were much more interesting to me. I did write lesson plans which were published in a curriculum my program director copyrighted. My Certificate in Technology in Education required classroom technology projects. Lots of fun! 

Creativity consisted of needlework projects and craft projects that decorated my house, but were not especially valued by society. It was not until I began to keep a journal that I began to accrue poems. If you had told me you were a poet, I would have considered you pompous. Poetry began to sneak into my life unbeknownst to me. It wasn’t until my oldest left the nest and struggled with life, that I began to find solace in poetry. My first poem, written at 5 in the morning over a period of 6 months, won a prize in a local contest (Poets & Patrons) and I was hooked. 

Last month, I posted why we need creativity in the world today. Years ago, I read The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability by James Gustave Speth, that pointed out how limited our search for solutions is. We frequently only choose from ideas which are available in our culture at the present time. Reading The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt I am reminded how much our culture influences our choices. Creativity is the ability to alter the perceptions which have been inculcated throughout our lifetime. Writing with creativity we can show others our viewpoint without insisting they change theirs. We can exhibit the emotions we feel in certain circumstances which may lead them to better understand another person’s viewpoint. 

According to Education World (1), January is Creativity Month, and they had some suggestions for creative writing for teachers.

Daily Writing Prompts are easy to find on the Internet, open a book and choose a word or sentence, or just choose objects around the room and start writing.
More Than Meets the Eye means using visual images to stimulate your mind. Optical illusions or word webs can help stimulate and/or organize.
Video Projects are a way to create short skits or plays and show them to the world on YouTube.
In the News suggests finding an interesting news item/s, such as news from the country of your ancestors, a new development in technology or an art exhibit. 
"What If?" This can go anywhere, from what if you could talk to anyone past or present, to what if you could travel for free?

For those of you who are closet writers, please do take the time to send your writing out into the world, even if it is only on a lowly blog. The world needs your ideas and you are the only one in the world that has your viewpoint. Show us worlds we haven’t thought of, like Ursula LeGuin or Madeleine L’Engle. Share your solutions to sustainability, global warming or income inequality. Tell us how we can lift our spirits to think about possibilities when we are depressed or oppressed. Help us find a way to feed, water and care for the population of the earth. Let’s put an end to poverty and war!


(1) Five Ways to Celebrate Creativity Month,
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/creativity-month-classroom-activities.shtml, accessed 1/12/18.
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