Best of Week: How to be Creative when Writing

The most substantial ideas from class this week came from Andrea Barrett's Sea of Information. I was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth of her words and the impact that they had on me. She graced us with many ideas to consider when writing, and also demonstrated that writing is never perfect the first time, and that it's okay to mess up repeatedly before finding the right words.

First, she did lots and lots of research. I like how she found background information on the subjects that she wrote about. Barrett made an excellent analogy that really spoke to me, "Research, no matter how compelling, may give me the bones of a fiction but never the breath and the blood" (16). She nails down the facts, which is vital when writing. However, she isn't solely focused on them. Instead, she uses the facts more as a framework or backbone to the actual piece. Really, imagination, creativity, and personality provide the true feelings and emotions that writers hope to evoke from readers. These three things lure in the reader by making the story come alive. No longer does it sound factual (although the facts are all there), it sounds like an actual story that people want to read about. For me, this is excellent incite. I realize now that creativity and personality are necessary when writing, and that it's okay to use my imagination to aid me in creating the best work possible.

Barrett also shared with us that she messes up a lot when she writes. Her first draft is never perfect. In fact, she said that her original story almost completely changed over the course of a year. In a way, I'm relieved! I'm happy to know that really great writers have trouble writing, too. I now know that writing takes time, and it's okay to go back and rewrite a couple of times, maybe even more.

Why does writing take so long? Well, sometimes we just can't find the right words. However, there are other reasons, too. For example, inspiration for writing comes from everywhere. Literally. So, just when I think I've created the perfect paragraph, a new idea forms in my mind, and I'm forced to start all over again. But I know now that that's okay. It's the imagination at work, and that's a great tool when writing. So, it's normal to be a slow, indecisive writer, because in the end,
you've created the best work that your mind can put out there.

I know that Barrett's insight on writing creatively will help me with every story, essay, poem, blog, etc. that I ever write again. Her knowledge about writing is very vast, and because of that she has helped me realize just exactly what I need to be a decent writer.