The Journey to Creativity

We are definitely living in a world where patience is no longer an admired virtue and immediacy is the name of the game. Dial-up is out and DSL is in. Snail mail is passé and text messaging and instant email is the fastest way to connect, and we no longer mop, but Swift clean.

Last week, I was flipping through channels and came upon this infomercial advertising this new equipment that allows you to create music. After the creator showed the well-versed host what the average person could do, she said excitedly, “Wow, instant gratification to creativity.”

Why would someone want creativity to be instant, I thought? Isn’t the process of creativity; the inspiration, the vision, the conception all a part of the journey?

This made me think of writing and how often it can be a very slow process. I know that there are sites that show you how to complete a novel in 30-days and in away I could see it being helpful, however for me it would ruin the progression.

Writing a novel or a screenplay can be slow, but necessary for the development of the story. Flushing out your character descriptions, your chapter outlines, along with drafts and many edits, could lead to a few years before you even see your piece come into fruition. For me that's part of the journey.

Don't get me wrong, I like that the world keeps progressing. Most of the time I like to use my Swift instead of a mop. But I know that if I really want a thorough cleaning, I need to use a regular mop or even get down on my hands and knees so that I can reach every nook and cranny.

The same goes with writing. There are times where I might not have enough time to spend on my writing say for instance if I'm working on an article for a client. Regardless, I still have to make sure it's letter perfect and eye catching to the readers. But when it comes to my creative writings I take my time because I want my reader to take their time when reading my stories so that it won't be just an instant gratification read, but a long simmered experience, a fulfilled and satisfying type of gratification, way after the story is over.

What type of writer are you?

Knowing Your Writing Voice

Recently, I started writing for an online dating and relationship site. Always excited when I have the opportunity to share my writing with a larger audience, I quickly told my network of writing friends to check out the site.

Unfortunately, that excitement was short lived, when one of the writers stated that my article among other things did not have my voice and suggested that topic be my next article on my blog.

Not one to run from criticism, I asked my writer friends (those who would give me honest feedback) to give me their critiques. All said they loved the article including the publisher.

But still the comment "know your voice' stayed with me and I wondered what does it mean to have a voice in your writing.

I believe everyone has a style that they bring to their writing. I also believe if you are truly a gifted writer, your voice can change based on your audience, based on the genre or based on the person you're writing for.

I know that my writing has a style that is often lyrical, comical, always personal and always introspective. But when it comes to having a voice it can be dark, controversial, thought-provoking and moving because I can pull from many periods in my life.

My writing is not one-dimensional, but many. It is not based on one color, but is a multitude. It is not based on a simple backdrop, but many settings. Restricting yourself to one voice can limit you in your writing.

Just like when writing a screenplay or novel, you have many characters and each of those characters must have a different voice based on their gender, race, or even their cultural background. Would you want to write everyone with the same voice... no of course not. So why should your writing be any different.

Your thoughts...