Short and Sweet

In the interest of time, I have decided to be brief, and let two quotes say it all today.

The first, from Nicholas Murray Butler, states "Optimism is the foundation of courage."

The second, from Usman B. Asif, says "Fear is a darkroom where negatives develop."

So, turn the light on and don't let those negative thoughts develop.  Take courage and keep hope in your mind, freeing it to be creative and peaceful.  Continue to dare to dream.

How Clever Am I?

I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.  Oscar Wilde

Ever have one of those spells where inside your head everything is crystal clear?  With eager anticipation of the pearls of literature that are going to flow through your keyboard onto the computer screen before you, the typing begins.  You take a break.  You read over the last two hours of hard work.  You think to yourself, I wonder what the hell THAT was supposed to mean.

Somehow all the clarity got lost in transition from brain to computer, and you can only assume that confusion would continue on to the reader.  I have been experiencing this phenomena for the last two weeks.  When I do finally get an opportunity to write, I can't seem to make a sentence that is understandable, much less great dialogue or description that grips.

What causes this to happen?  Wish I knew.  I suspect, though, that fear might be lurking in my creative recesses.  I have never gotten so far into writing a novel, and the uncomfortable feeling of driving without a map has settled in.  Writing has proven to be a wonderful, empowering and frightening process.  I have had to learn to let go of the creative reigns time and again, and trust the process.  I guess now is one of those times.  Deep breaths.

Creativity Killer #2 - Perfectionism

Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it - Salvador Dali


I don't know much about Salvador Dali.  I do know he painted amazingly unique pictures, one of which I bought as a print when I was in high school.  I loved to stare at the picture and imagine what happened to that painted world, how Dali had come up with the idea, what it would be like to be transported into the picture.  My own imagination fed off of his creative freedom.


Perfectionism as a creativity killer is tough to describe.  Of course we have to have standards for our work, whatever that work might be.  When we toil in our jobs, we have certain performance levels we have to meet. As parents, we have certain responsibilities to our offspring to make sure they get the nurturing, care and love they need to grow into healthy, stable individuals.  When we write stories, there is a certain level of skill that must be achieved to keep a reader engaged and produce a well-told story.


The problem arises when we forget that there are many, many ways to reach a goal, to tell a story, to be human.  We get stuck trying to get it "right."  But what is right in one situation (or for one person), may not be right in the next.  If we don't allow ourselves the possibility of "mistakes", then we get mired in fear and close off the part of ourselves that makes us, and therefore our work, unique.  Instead of gaining perfection, we achieve conformity.


Let's celebrate flaws and differences.  How boring the world would be if we were all perfect.  There would only be one story to write, one way.  Only one character who would always react in the "right" way.  Life is messy and beautiful and exciting when we stop trying to be perfect, and instead try to be the best we can be.