Silly Does It

Silly does it because it makes sense.

Recently I heard the creative process described by an artist as the thought that manifests immediately prior to the thought that says, "You can't do that." (Mostly) childhood issues throw roadblocks before us that make us withdraw from being creative. You can't color outside the lines. Oh, that doesn't look like a doggy. This poem doesn't rhyme. Misguided attempts to make us fit within the norm helped kill the creator within each and every human being that wants to get their art out.

A favorite activity I use to get things flowing takes the rhyme and meter of song lyrics or poetry and inserts your own words. Childhood nursery rhymes have an innate goofiness that makes them especially resourceful.

What '70s lyrics could these replace?
I believe in Santa Claus - he's a big, fat man - who lives in a can OR
I believe in Sally Ann - she's one great pet - the best one yet.

Nursery rhymes
Stash, stash, stash your cash - Save it in the bank - Be sure you save plenty of loot - In case you break your flute OR
Gerry had a brand new cam - He put it in his car - If he waited until today - He wouldn't get too far. OR
I see lizards - I see cats - Next come dogs - Then come rats.

OK, OK, I hear you yelling "Uncle." Don't get caught up in the words. The goofiness is the point. Get goofy. Get loosey goosey. Get busy and try this exercise and I think you'll find it is a springboard to a very productive writing session. - Bethany Moran

I'm Lots of Things . . .

but published, I ain't!
After reading these posts you're probably saying, "It's easy to see why," but your casting of aspersions won't deter me. The creativity that awakened last year after two decades of dormancy has taken on a life of its own.
Last year was one filled with milestones. I moved past fear of failure and the negative judgement associated with it and sat down to explore creative writing again. My first novel was created in 67 days and I submitted it to an agent within 60days of completion. Another less memorable milestone is that of my first rejection. However, I've got to let you in on a secret. The rejection didn't end my world. I didn't drop dead when the email hit my inbox. In a past life, i.e. prior to my new found commitment to writing, I would have been devastated by the rejection, nearly to the point of suicidal tendencies.
What was the difference with this rejection than those of the past? Me. Before I sat down at the computer the day I renewed my dedication to my art, I chose to write solely for myself. I'd be lying if I told you I don't want to earn income from creative writing; my wallet is as flat as yours. The decision to write solely for self-edification was the most liberating decision I ever made. It freed me from self-doubt. It didn't matter if my mother, a writer whose opinion I highly value, liked a piece or not. Or my husband. Or a literary agent's assistant, let alone the agent. It mattered that I put my ideas on paper. It mattered that creativity flowed from me again. It mattered that I told fear to 'fuck off.' It mattered that I succeeded in my own right. - Bethany Moran

Story Development on a Budget

There are boundless books and websites dedicated to the art of creative writing, many of them quite good. Since leaving college, however, I find I'm not the best student when it comes to following someone else's directions so I set out on my own. When I have a story I want to pursue the first thing I do is write the idea in its barest bones. This can be a single sentence or a paragraph or so, but not usually more than a page. This isn't the stage that I worry about developing great detail.
If the story idea I have is: What would happen if cows took over NASA and colonized Mars? One possible answer is possibly the laziest and most obvious: The event would be a media sensation. Next, Would media members fight to purchase the rights from the herds the would-be astronauts left behind? Then, Why did cows decide to leave the farm for the sterile environs of space?
This method is fast. It keeps the mind moving swiftly along. Story development generally moves along at a brisk pace using this rudimentary technique because the answer to one question may spawn dozens more. Questions grant you the most luxurious commodity known to humans: choice. I'm empowered to choose one of several paths to follow. By the end of the Q&A session it's possible to develop a story line far removed from the original. This isn't a disappointment, it's a bonus: now I have two stories I can pursue. Maybe one of the new developments is far more interesting to me than the original. Perhaps felines replaced bovines and they plot to enslave canines as astrominers on Europa.
It sounds sickeningly simple, especially if you're stuck in a rut and facing a block, but it's effective. Another nauseatingly simple technique is to carry a tablet everywhere and ask, ask, ask using the Journalism 101 model: who, what, where, when, why and how. Who are the cows? What do they want? Where are they going? Where did they come from? When did they decide to revolt? When did they plan to take off? Why on Earth do cows want to become astronauts? The sillier the question, the better. The silly factor breeds creativity.
Look at everything around you. Your environment is not barren. Ask "What if" questions. Challenge. Ideas are everywhere, waiting for your brain to shape them into an intersting story. - Bethany Moran