Can you force yourself to be creative?
Whether or not you are in the camp of people who believe that writers should write every day, it is likely that you will think writing regularly is important. Usually, this isn’t a problem – but what about when you are finding creative inspiration hard to come by? In short, can you force yourself to be creative?
On the one hand, there is an argument to be made that you can make yourself be creative. If you are writing on a regular basis, the process of it will become familiar and, with any luck, it will be easier to get down to work. Being creative will start to become second nature.
There is also the argument that we are naturally creative, and the hard bit is transferring that creativity to the page. I think there’s something in that; having great ideas is one part of the battle, but getting them how you want them to be in reality is a different matter entirely. I don’t think it’s unusual for writers to have fantastically creative ideas but then struggle to get them across in words – that’s often the bit that takes the time.
However, it’s also worth taking a look at the counter-argument. I’m sure we’ve all had periods in our writing where we’ve struggled for ideas but have tried to force it anyway – any not been all that satisfied with the outcome as a result. Sometimes, it makes more sense to step away and take a break from writing rather than trying to make yourself be creative. We might write something perfectly functional, but it will be missing that wow factor we’re all after.
I think this all just goes to show how closely creativity is linked to other aspects of writing. We might have the ideas, but find it hard to express them. Similarly, we might be able to write for hours and hours without much of a coherent thought in there at all. The trick is getting that balance right, and getting it right on a regular basis.
After a time, a lot of this becomes second nature. We learn the tricks and processes that work for us, we learn how to tell when an idea is good, and what to do with it once we’ve thought of it. However, we also learn that sometimes, if the creativity isn’t there, it generally isn’t worth trying to force it.
What do you think? Can you make yourself be creative when you’re not really feeling it, or is there something to be said for temporarily stepping away?
