February 2010

The Roads are Many

February 28, 2010

For the last post of the day, I want to direct your attention to an excellent article by Nancy R. Hatch, a new blogger, and occasional Guest Blogger here on Uphill Writing.
On her blog, Spirit Lights the Way, I found a post entitled “The Roads Are Many“, which, while not specifically about creativity (our theme [...]

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Creativity: Getting Close

February 28, 2010

It has been a struggle, pinning down creativity, that is.  Just when we think we know what it is, the definition slips a bit.
We’ve looked at ways we can enhance whatever it is we’re calling creativity.  Some of you may have concluded along with me, that absolute creativity–the creation of something wholly and singularly new, [...]

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Creativity: a Come-Back

February 28, 2010

My last post has created a bit of a stir, albeit in private.
One responder asked (and very cleverly, I might add) what about children?  Don’t children learn new ideas every day?
They do.  They also look at their world and solve problems, but this in no way negates my position that something totally new would be [...]

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What Really IS Creativity, Anyway?

February 28, 2010

Creativity, as we are using it today, is that ability to innovate.  Right?  Maybe not.
I’ve written elsewhere that being truly and totally creative has a serious downside.  BEWARE!  This is a topic fraught with contradiction, and will certainly make some of you uneasy, if not outright hostile.
I say that something drawn out of nothing, an [...]

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10 Ways to Spark a Fresh Idea

February 28, 2010

The Internet, Bookstores and Libraries abound with ideas about ideas… about creativity.  The following list is an admixture of my own techniques, and some I’ve found useful from outside sources.

We’ll start with one of my all-time favorites.  What would you do with your life if you knew you couldn’t fail? Without the normal constraints on [...]

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Chimera

February 28, 2010

Chimera, n.
An impossible or foolish fancy.  (We’re skipping the definition from Greek Mythology.)
Some days he would create, other days he would chase headlong after the chimeras of his mind.
How will you use chimera in a sentence today?
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Getting Creative About Creativity

February 28, 2010

To me, the highest compliment I can give a writer, is to ask myself, “How did he or she come up with THAT?  Most ideas in books and stories are fairly mundane.  It is easy to see, even with those that are considered clever, how a person could have worked out the twists and turns.  [...]

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Letting It In

February 27, 2010

Thinking about this last post for the day, I thought I’d talk about the hardest part of writing.
Unfortunately, I got stuck right there.  It’s all hard, all the time.  Except when it isn’t.  I’m guessing that doesn’t help much.
So, how about we look at something that is particularly tricky.  Accepting criticism.
I’ve met a lot of [...]

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A Special Invitation

February 27, 2010

Allow me to present a special invitation to anyone new to the world of blogging (UphillWriting.org is only a month old), and who would like to get together via a Yahoo! Group to share ideas, tips, tricks, questions, requests for help, to share lessons learned, or just hang out and talk about blogging.
I have just [...]

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Connecting With Writers

February 27, 2010

While one can write in a vacuum–and certainly some writers do–I have found great value in seeking out others who write.  Sharing problems and solutions, reading and reviewing–as well as being read and reviewed, trading ideas, tricks, tips and warnings about traps to avoid, all help round out the life of a writer.
The process of [...]

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