How not being creative just invites in the Brain Monster

I've got a theory that can be summed up in a single sentence. Are you ready for it? Here goes.

If you don’t expend creative energy, BAD THINGS HAPPEN.

Mark my words. BAD. THINGS.

Of course creative energy can be expended in a million different ways. Writing, drawing, photography, graphic design, knitting, creating things with your hands. Even finding solutions to organization problems or coming up with really cool math problems. (Once upon a time, I did technical support for spreadsheet software for a few years and I wrote some paragraphs-long formulas that had the power to make me float on a creative high for days. DAYS, I tell you!)

It wasn’t until I cashed in every single one of my creative outlets for writing that I realized the full effect of creative energy expenditure. You know, sometimes life gets busy. And you don’t have time to write (or whatever your favorite method is). And that’s when the bad things happen.

Photo Credit: hugoo13

You see, there’s this thing that lives in your brain. He’s a maniacal, crazy, hyper little monster, and doing creative things is like Valium to him. When he doesn't get his Valium, he goes wild. Wild like a nine year old ADHD kid hopped up on mass amounts of sugar, Dr. Pepper, and red dye #40. He runs around your brain and beats on the walls and yells and jumps and throws things, and it takes EVERY OUNCE OF PATIENCE TO HANDLE THE CHAOS ENSUING.

And the thing is, you don't even realize it's going on. You don't realize that you have spent every bit of your patience until something else comes along. Any tiny little thing, really. And suddenly you can't handle it. And you don't even know why, because it's such a teeny little thing. Of course you should be able to handle it just fine! But you don't.


See? Bad things.

I swear to you, if you ever feel this way, you can look back and say, "Wow. When was the last time I did something creative?"

And you'll hear the answer in a maniacal, crazy, hyper voice. "Forever ago! I NEED MY VALIUM!"

If you go and expend ANY kind of creative energy (but preferably the kind you've been most craving), then the BAD THINGS DISAPPEAR. Like magic.

So go be creative! Write! Draw! Make cool math problems! Then everything will come up roses again. I promise.

Growing a Story From A Seed

Where do ideas come from? There are too many answers to that question to count, but today I’m going to focus on giving you a snapshot of one way to tackle the getting of ideas.

I once heard Neil Gaiman say that everybody has ideas, but writers train themselves to notice them. To notice the playful daydreams and the ‘what ifs’ that float through all our brains on a daily basis. 

For me the ‘what if’, followed by the ‘what next’ are perhaps the most important parts of the daydream-to-idea-to-story sequence, and it all starts with a seed.

I recently saw an article about a group of medical specialists who have learned to oxygenate blood with an injection. It came about when one doctor watched a little girl die for lack of oxygen, and started thinking about ways to help her breathe that didn’t involve getting air down her windpipe. Now, they’re at the point of being able to oxygenate blood for up to half an hour via injection. A development like this, once widespread, could gift paramedics with the ability to save lives.

But, the article asked, what else could this mean? Could it help us spacewalk? Deep sea dive? What about climbing Everest without oxygen tanks? 

I thought this was fascinating, and for me, this is where the writer’s brain kicks in. The ‘what if’ is fascinating, and the ‘what next’ turns it into a story. What if we could spend extended periods of time underwater without any need for oxygen tanks? What next? Where would that lead? Could we explore underwater environments with greater ease? Could we look at ways to make them habitable? After all, with global warming, we’re looking at diminished landmass. Or we could take it in another direction—could I commute to work across the bay? All I’d need would be an injection, a waterproof suit to keep me dry, and some sort of propulsion. What would it be? An underwater motorbike? What would a city look like if rivers and bays became, essentially, roads? What sort of person might live there? Who could face an interesting dilemma?

The questions go on and on, and that’s before I even get to the question of spacewalks! Building a story is as simple—and as difficult—as that. A seed of an idea, and then a thousand iterations of ‘what if’ and ‘what next’, until just the right one comes along!

Creativity Advice from CRACKED.com

So, I was cruising through my Google Reader feed last night, and I came across this article on CRACKED.com: "5 Workplace Annoyances That Can Boost Your Creativity." It's well worth a read. Although it is on Cracked, so expect some mild profanity and puerile humor. If that sort of thing offends you, don't click through. (Actually, if that sort of thing offends you, it may be best to stay off the internet entirely.)

It struck me that these apply to writers, too. So here's my reinterpretation of the five workplace annoyances as applied to writing:

5. You're more creative when you're tired or drunk

I once heard that Jack Prelutsky wrote all his poems in the middle of the night. It makes sense now. And all those legions of alcoholic writers? Now I get it. And resemble it.

4. Sarcastic people can help you generate ideas

The snarky main character has become such a fixture in YA that she's almost a cliche. Now I understand.  Sarcasm boosts creativity, writers need to be creative, therefore writers are more likely to be skilled with sarcasm. And to pass on this skill to their characters.

3. Constant annoying background noise helps you focus

Can we finally put the mockery of the coffee shop writer to rest? Silence is deadly--to creativity.

2. A sex-free mind is a creative mind

It turns out that thinking about sex activates the analytical parts of your brain, while thinking about love activates the creative parts of your brain. (Cracked cites this fascinating study.) Maybe there's a scientific explanation for what I always thought about during math tests. On the other hand, two words might explain my math-class daydreams just as well: teenage boy.

There's a wealth of incredibly moving YA literature focused on love. Whereas the few YA novels I've read that focus primarily on sex have left me, well, cold. Perhaps this study helps to explain why.

1. You're more creative when you don't get paid

Note to anyone from Tanglewood Press who reads this: I'm pretty sure I'm the exception to this rule. The more you pay me, the more creative I am.

Now that we've got that out of the way, what the authors of the study Cracked cites found was that art students who were intrinsically motivated did far better in their careers than those who were extrinsically motivated. The same is no doubt true among novelists. If you're in it primarily for the money, you're never going to make it through the inevitable rough patches--the years of trying to write a decent novel and sell it, for example.

On the other hand, I'm a little suspicious of authors who say they write only for themselves. Why put yourself through the flesh-wringing agony of trying to get published if you're only writing for yourself?

If you haven't yet, read the Cracked article--it's well worth your time. What boosts your creativity? Let me know in the comments please.