For us creative types creativity is not just something we have, it is how we live. We can’t imagine a life where we are not creating things, it is essential to our existence.

In the book Artistic Creation: A Phenomenological Account by Jeff Mitscherling, and Paul Fairfield they state Victor Hugo’s advice to other writers was to:

“Steep yourself for a few days… in the new world whose master you are to become. Lock yourself up with your characters and look them in the eye. Do not be afraid of the vague approximations that come to your mind… The outlines always swim about just before the work finds its feet and begins to walk.”

These instructions are fun, and they offer a glimpse into the workings of the creative process. Sometimes. It is not unusual to play with a concept for days, weeks, or months. A few ideas marinate for years before they coalesce.

Other times the idea springs to mind fully formed and ready for prime time. The exact transformation is not important, we chase the thrill to create.

How do your ideas come to you?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

If you want to be a surgeon, a concert violinist, an artist, an engineer, a baker, a writer… there are specific skills you must learn. Some of those skills take years to master, requiring hours of “deliberate practice”. People who excel, typically put in the time and do the work.

How many times has Yo-Yo Ma practice scales? How many jump-shots did Michael Jordan practice? How many math problems did Einstein solve? Deliberate practice requires you to be fully engaged in the skill you are trying to learn. You also minimized distractions. Dave Grohl is on to something here.

What are you doing today to learn your craft?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Writers tread in giant footsteps forged by literature’s titans. They face great expectations, brave colossal odds and wear many hats. They cast a critical eye on their initial story idea, countless drafts, rewrites, edits, and elicit further criticism from beta readers, editors, and agents. They fearlessly build their author platform and tackle marketing. It’s a wonder any books get published. The entire process is a test of imagination. A writer must imagine their reader, flipping through the pages of the finished work and trust they will be transported into the author’s alternate reality.

It requires vision, perseverance, and diligence. It is not an easy road. So, why do we writers, write? The answers are varied, as different as snowflakes. Authors create stories to aid understanding of a confusing world, to experience unlimited freedom and to share unique ideas with people we will never meet in person. We pen deep emotions to encourage others, to heal, to start transformations and help interpret our own minds. A finished work gives us a sense of accomplishment, of a job well done. Oh, I suppose some novelists are writing only for the money, but it’s not their first consideration.

What drives your writing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer