Letting go

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Mon, 2006-05-15 12:01

Letting go

I'm a journalist / copywriter by trade. This means I can write on demand or to a strict brief. Useful, but alas, this also means I've had all forms of creativity beaten out of me.

Writing for myself means there are no house style rules or there is no objective to achieve. The brief is too big, so to speak. I'm cursed with knowing the mechanics of writing - how to engage, how to change pace, etc, etc. I get the feeling that anything I do will be synthesized. An exercise in manipulation (of the reader).

So Question 1: How do you 'let go' and write?

I'm also thinking of taking part in a creative course of some sort. This way, I'll get a brief from a tutor and with luck, get things going.

Question 2: Does anyone know of any free alternatives to taking up a course. Perhaps there's a website with completely random tasks / briefs for writers to practice with. Know any?

Dan (formerly kenobi)

Mon, 2006-05-15 12:43

styx

An excercise we were given at a course I was on is - come up with an anagram of your name for a title, then conjure up a story. Go!

Mon, 2006-05-15 13:01

kenobi

Hmm. Tricky when your name's Dan. Apart from a crime story (involving DNA), my options are a bit limited. Nice idea though.

Mon, 2006-05-15 13:14

maddan

there's a very nice (if not entirely relevant) quote by Stella Gibson about moving from writing journalism to writing novels, I can't find it online but it's in a letter she wrote to a friend introducing cold comfort farm, I'll copy it out when I get home. As for advice, you sound like you're thinking about it too much, just write something, anyone spending any time worrying about their style has their head up their arse.

Mon, 2006-05-15 13:22

kenobi

er, thanks - I think that's helpful.

Mon, 2006-05-15 22:18

yan

When you go to bed at night try some deep relaxation followed by a good hour of creative visualisation. A friend of mine recently received a very vivid hypnagogic of a semi-naked bushmen with his arm affectionately wrapped around a lazing leopards neck. This solitary imagery is similar to how C.S Lewis kick-started the narnia chronicles. Hear my music: http://music.download.com/3600-5-100795586.html

There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed -
Dennett

Tue, 2006-05-16 15:12

tcook

Or just try the Inspiration Point on the Front Page and see where you go...

Wed, 2006-05-17 13:33

fergal

There are quite a few good books out there that have writing exercises in them, and they're only about 15 quid or less second hand. Much cheaper than a course. If it's a novel you want to write you could do worse than that teach yourself 'write a novel' book. I saw a copy the other day and thought it was good. Someone recommended the The Writer's Coursebook which is full of exercise, though I've never seen it. I do know what you mean, as I find that some of my best ideas come out of random writing exercises where I am given a title or something. Just play about with it. Enjoy yourself. That's the difference maybe between writing as a journalist and writing creatively. As a journalist you have to write about specific things by a specific time. Everyone writes differently. You won't know how you do it until you try. Good luck.

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