While TAing Claire’s most recent Weekday Warrior Mini-Retreat at the Writing Barn, I was captivated by the idea of rediscovering wonder in our work. Over three hours, we talked all about the things that inspire us and the parts of our world that send shivers of delight down our spines.
If you’ve been working on a WIP for a while, you probably know that as a project slogs on, its initial excitement can drain away into resignation and apathy.
HOWEVER, one way to rekindle that spark is by trying a different creative outlet to use alongside your written work. This outlet could take the form of drawing, painting, sculpting, creating mood boards or playlists, writing a song, creating a collage, recording yourself speaking aloud, or even an improv dance routine (no judgements here)!
Whatever we do, it is an act of creation, and sometimes shifting the way we express that creativity can open up new doors and solidify ideas.
Our characters are more than our words!
I took this concept and created a few sketches of characters with whom I’ve recently been wrestling, which are pictured here. Taking the time to think out various physical characteristics and outfits gave me a chance to explore their personalities separately from a written description, considering how they would express themselves to the outside world in different contexts. It also allowed me to figure out what the heck I’m doing in regards to my story’s fashion, which will end up being quite integral to the plot.
For these guided prompts, I invite you to stretch your creative muscles and try something new.
For a warm up, let’s start with a more traditional writing prompt, shall we? Consider your character in their daily life. How do they express their own creativity? Perhaps it’s something traditional like painting, or perhaps your character creates beautiful items through woodworking or embroidery. For a more *troubled* character, they could even uncover creativity through the use of a few sharp knives or an exceptionally hot fire poker (yeesh!). Think about how their creative outlet feels to them and how it is perceived by others, whether friends or strangers. Write for ten minutes.
Now that we’ve gotten a little more comfortable with alternative forms of creativity by living vicariously through our characters, let’s try something new ourselves. Pick a scene, new or old, that you feel has lost its spark. Instead of immediately trying to write your way out of a hole, try creating a mood board! This can take the form of magazine clippings on copy paper, Google images on a fresh word doc, or even a fancy Canva spread. Whatever medium strikes your fancy, go wild and try to capture the atmosphere and aesthetic of the scene you want to write, and see where that takes you. Create for twelve minutes.
Amping things up a liiiiiittle more, choose a character with whom you have been struggling, for whatever reason, and draw them. Stick figures are celebrated and honored here! Truly, the simpler your design is, the more you will be forced to choose the most important visual elements of your character, which can help clarify their internal landscape as well. If you’re like me, you might even discover entirely new aspects of their personality! Draw for eight minutes.
For those of us who are less visually inclined, I invite you to choose a setting in your WIP or from your mind and create a playlist that you feel best represents it. If you’re considering a broad swath of farmland, folk music might be right for you, while if you’re thinking of a bustling city, techno could sound most accurate. If you have a Spotify account, that can be a wonderful way to compile these songs and even share them with others! If you would rather write out a physical list of titles or arrange a new playlist in your phone’s music app, that is also fantastic. Create for six minutes.
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KAY TEEKELL is Claire’s Summer Communications Associate and fellow creative writer. She has five years of writing and editing experience that ranges from content writing for blogs and magazines to grant writing for nonprofit organizations. Kay is passionate about the power of storytelling and strives to amplify voices that might otherwise be forgotten. She is excited to use her artistic and literary skills in her professional aspirations and will continue to develop her talents for the rest of her life.