JULY, 2019
CREATIVITY ENGINE BREAKDOWN—TUNE-UP REQUIRED
By: Alice Orr
There are times
when your creativity
mechanism develops
a hitch in its get-
along. Blame my
North Country roots
for that last phrase.
Credit my North
County roots for the following scold.
Leave your jangled nerves at the door.
You may think your tank‟s gone dry, but
it hasn‟t. Your mind is running old self-
doubt tapes. Turn them off. Pick from
the following trick bag of creativity tools
for setting your head on an imaginative
course.
Open Up to Your Own Weirdness.
David Lynch, master of weirdness, says,
“It‟s like fishing. I never know what I‟m
going to catch.” Take yourself on an idea
fishing expedition. Don‟t censor the
strange thoughts that arise. Discipline
this raw material later. Borrow Stephen
King‟s story interrogation technique.
Ask, “Can I make something exciting (he
means intense, dramatic, compelling) out
of this?” Answer, “Yes!” followed by,
“How?” Then, let the brainstorms rage.
Wake Up to Possibilities. Keep a
notepad by your bed. Before dozing off,
tell yourself to wake up full of ideas,
while your psyche is near the alpha state
where dreams abide. Awaken, grab the
notepad, scribble what‟s in your head.
Fragments will do. It‟s your most creative
time of day.
Read Like A Writer. Reading time
is idea time. I mean inspiration, not pla-
giarism. Read to discover connections
that are original for you. Read slowly.
Allow yourself to stop and think. Dig
beneath the surface rather than skimming
along it. Re-imagine what you find.
Just write. You detect the glimmer
of an idea. Don‟t wait, write away at it
right there and then. See where it goes.
Come up with a first line. Write a num-
ber of possible first lines, until one of
them makes you want to know what hap-
pens next. Write on from there.
Be A Nosey Parker. Become a pro-
fessional eavesdropper. Focus your eyes
beyond the left ear of your target victim
and listen. Taking notes demands discre-
tion. I prefer restrooms. I lock myself in
a stall and scribble away. Don‟t wait to
get home. You might forget a gem or
two.
Make Lists, Lists and More Lists.
Lists of things that make you feel in-
tensely. Specific people, incidents, situa-
tions that evoke a strong emotional re-
sponse in you. Not issues like politics.
Stick with personal stuff that produces a
hot blood response. This is your personal
potent idea fodder.
Storytelling pay dirt to the max.
Finally, Usurp the Hero. This is a
game, with creative thinking required.
Conjure any classic story situation with a
man at the center, a dramatic scene you
find gripping. From Shakespeare, Twain,
Michael Connelly, anybody. Re-imagine
that situation with a woman as the main
character. How would she react differ-
ently from her male counterpart? Make
her strong. How will that strength ex-
press itself differently because she‟s a
woman? Vive le difference.
Each of the above ignites the trans-
forming power of imagination. Which-
ever tactic you choose, you and your
creativity engine will chug out of the
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