Creativity

“Ultimately, literature is nothing but carpentry. Both are very hard work. Writing something is almost as hard as making a table. With both you are working with reality, a material just as hard as wood. Both are full of tricks and techniques. Basically very little magic and a lot of hard work are involved.” Gabriel Garcia Marquez

It’s not always easy being the one who asks the tough questions. To be the one scratching your chin and saying ‘why doesn’t this work for me?’ whilst everyone around you high fives. But questioning, constructive criticism and scepticism are key to improving both creative productivity and creative quality.

The 11 illustrations which form Picasso’s work The Bull are a masterclass on the benefit of scrupulous cutting. They also reveal how creatives and writers can develop and find their unique voice through the process of editing.

Writers often come up with their best ideas when doing something other than writing. Agatha Christie used to mull over her murderous plotlines eating apples in the bath whilst Dickens spent hours each day strolling around London. So if you can’t crack that darned second act – what’s the best thing to do? Here’s what some researchers found.

Other people. Do they help or hinder your creativity? Do they build your confidence or just sap it? Some researchers decided to find out and this is what they learned. Warning - contains aliens.

Research proves* that setting limits on your creative work forces sharper thinking. It’s a proven method that’s been used successfully in some of the biggest creative organisations in the world. But how do you limit creativity without limiting it?

In 2013, Chicago-based entrepreneur and visual artist Craighton Berman launched The Campaign for the Accurate Measurement of Creativity, a witty project involving Berman designing and selling a jar to collect pencil sharpenings in order help people ‘quantify’ their creativity.

Having a blog is an important part of an author’s marketing toolkit. Your blog is a place where you can test out your writing, get noticed by publishers, engage with readers, build a following and in some cases – sell your work. Whilst it’s great to blog purely for fun and creative expression, if you want your blog to help your writing career in some way then it’s time to get yourself a blogging strategy. So how do you start?

Many people harbour dreams to become best selling novelists, film directors, sculptors or artists. But what’s the difference between the dreamers and the do-ers?

You’ve chosen your outfit for the Oscar ceremony and practised your smile for the waiting cameras but you still haven’t written the first scene of your screenplay let alone made a film. Don’t give up on your fantasy – here’s how to use your dreams to set achievable goals.