Tag Archives: creativity and creative process

Lost in Multiple Drafts of a Short Story

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When I saw a TED video called “Try Something New For 30 Days” by Matt Cutts a few days ago, I knew  immediately it was the cue I needed to get back to re-writing and editing a story I’d really wanted to write but which I couldn’t finish.

I’m going to commit July to getting to getting to grips with that story (while not forgetting all those other July summery things like floating on water!).

which to choose?

which to choose?

I’ve written a mass of material – far too much for a short story. It has got too spread out and I have quite simply lost my way with it.

So the question is, how should I re-start? So many choices! But I need to find a new way to go about it. Continue reading →

One Core Essential Of Narrative Energy, And A Writing Exercise

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man dancing with feathersYesterday, at the National Arts Gallery in Ottawa, we were walking up the ramp along the glass wall to the galleries behind two young boys with their mother.

An elderly, very smartly dressed couple started down the ramp. The man stopped as he and his wife were about to pass the boys. He leaned towards them. Pursing his lips, he started to Continue reading →

After the First Draft – Next Steps

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So there you have it: a first draft of your short story. What now? What’s the next step?next steps - prints in the snow (2)

In a previous post  I wrote about my struggle with how to continue with first drafts, especially those that had no clear ending, and how I learned to ‘dig deeper’.

Dig deeper. What does that mean? Continue reading →

Beyond Inspiration

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“15 Innovative Ways (Big and Small) To Innovate” (The Globe and Mail’s March 2013 Report on Business) looks beyond the ‘flash of inspiration’ to examine how certain companies have managed to stimulate ideas and bring them to successful fruition. Here are just three of the pointers that instantly caught my attention. Continue reading →