The creative process
A personal experience:
Professor Kamani Jayasekera
The creative inspiration or the ability to compose a work of
literature differs according to the individual. Hence it is important to
consider the process which has helped each writer to indulge in creative
writing. Careful observation proves that factors such as background,
personality, education and training count a considerable degree.
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Creativity is like an iron ring
attracted to a magnet |
The natural ability and the sensitiveness of the individual, the
ability to feel and understand another is included under this. This
means not only the feelings towards fellow human beings, but all living
things, including nature and incidents of life. This is an area which
could be nourished by opening up your mind as well as your heart.
Background
The family, the society and the circumstances. This includes
opportunities and exposure. Encouragement as well as discouragement
might trigger off creativity in a person who is receptive.
This goes beyond mere reading and writing. One is educated from his
or her birth onwards from one’s surroundings. One may learn by
observation – observation of people around you and the various
experiences that life offers you. But reading does help. Reading as much
as possible. Another healthy habit that could be cultivated. Exposed to
literature, you would be familiar with different styles used in various
situations.
And writing. For one may get in to the habit of writing down what one
feels. This may result in a special kind of composition.
You could be aware that when you are experiencing a particular kind
of emotion, the words, phrases and even the punctuation of your
composition would be of a special kind. Your writing would represent the
emotion you are experiencing.
It is then that you can convey the feelings to the reader.
As Plato says the power you would have on the reader would be like
that of an iron ring being attracted to a magnet.
Training
Training yourself to feel ,to recognize. Try to put yourself in the
shoes of another. It is then would you be able to understand what the
particular person is experiencing. If you have the capacity to feel the
agony of another, you would never be instrumental in making another
suffer. In doing so you would automatically cultivate qualities such as
sympathy .This is a training that takes more time than one could
imagine.
One could also pen down an experience of another, if you could feel
the emotion as if it is your own. With experience ,this could be done
with imaginary situations as well. But be mindful that readers may
interpret them as your experiences!! Life would indeed be rich and full
of spice if I had experienced all that I had put on paper!!!With time
you would also learn to bear the comments with a smile. In writing one
had to be honest to oneself. Write what you feel and not what you want
others to think of yourself. Your upbringing , your sense of social
responsibility and you, your self should be your sensor. The quality of
yourself would determine what you create.
With training you will also recognize the opportunities. It might be
the ups and downs of your personal life. Or it may be that of another.
For example I wrote the short story ‘Random Thoughts’ within a week of
my mother’s death. In writing the story I recalled how I was affected by
the manner the milking cows were separated from their calves in a
modernized farm I had visited. And how a colleague of mine once related
how he had sucked fresh milk from their family cow when he was a boy.
The sight of my mother’s ashes down the river reminded me of Heraclitus’
philosophy. –‘ you step and do not step into the same river, and you are
and you are not’.
A simple conversation overheard may be a subject of a beautiful
composition. If you had trained yourself to be sensitive – and to see
beyond what meets the eye. A simple word, a gesture, a quiver of a lip
or the eye might speak volumes to a careful observer. The importance of
the situation even the person involved might not recognize.
The observation would come naturally with time. As for example once
when my friend was driving, she asked me to answer her mobile. It was
her sister. On which I was asked to take the message. And her answer was
“ Nothing. I just wanted to hear her voice.”
What beauty of a human relationship!
One has to remember that the education and training does and should
not mean toil. Some people claim that they are ‘working at a novel’ or
some such thing. But personally I do not believe that one could work at
‘creative writing’. When one is equipped with the earlier mentioned
requirements the creative instinct comes naturally. |
