Creative Writing - From Think To Ink: Learn How To Unleash Your Creative Self and Discover Why You Don't Need 1000 Writing Prompts To Blast Away Your Writer's Block and Improve Your Writing Skills

by Simeon Lindstrom

Plenty of writing advice out there is focused on the nuts and bolts of writing... how to do it, when, how to market it and where, etc. But this is not that sort of book. If you want to learn to write more compellingly, with more skill and expertise, you can do it, easily. The really tricky bit, though, is understanding why. Uncover this why for yourself and you get in touch with the inexhaustible engine of your creativity. The human core of why we bother to create at all. Get to know this root well and you will not need gimmicky books full of writing prompts to blast away your writer’s block. You will not need “inspiration” or 31 awesome tips and tricks. When you were a baby, something made you open your mouth and speak. Understand the thing that inspired you to do this, and you’re more than half way to being the creative, productive and generative human being you were destined to be. When you were a tiny baby, your head was full of mostly nothing and the world was new and unknown. You barely had the skill to move yourself around the environment, and you most definitely lacked the skill to do what humans are most know for – communication. As you grew and developed, though, something strange started to happen. The people around you, the things in your world - you began to understand that they could be reached. That in your infant isolation there was still a way to reach out and touch someone else’s experience. You saw all around you evidence of this magical skill that you had yet to language. Since before we were old enough to understand it, we’ve tried to master this almost god-like ability to shape symbols and concepts, reach into the mind of someone else and affect their hearts and minds, to bring about changes in the world, to connect and understand and share with another human being. At the root of all creative expression is a deep, inborn and very human desire to be heard and understood. Ask yourself this simple why write at all? Once you’ve managed to answer this question for yourself you’ll have found something that will be incredibly valuable to your writing career, wherever it takes your purpose. Tapping into the deep roots of why you are compelled to write at all is a brilliant way to unlock your true motivations and your ultimate reason for that urge to take what’s in your head and put it out there in the world. Remember, all change and growth begins with the creativity of imagining something different. It’s quite likely that opening the door on your innate creativity will invite all sorts of new skills and insights into your life, not just the verbal ones.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

134 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2015

Reviews

[Chara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting, and not even what I needed.
But if you don't care about practical advice on how to do things (how to write things!), if what you want is pure encouragement and a pep talk, then this is exactly the book for you.

And after all, even if I was looking for a different book, it kind of did something for me as well.

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Books on writing are of little value. This book on creative writing is no exception. The key points are:
Why are you writing or wanting to write?
You can write for yourself or the market.
To make money you have to be in the market.
You have to actually write.
You need a notebook so you can write at any time, anywhere.
Here is how the market works, supposedly.
Etc.

Sometimes there is practical help: spelling, grammar, organization of the workspace. Mostly that is not important. Spelling is fluid over the years, and there are software tools, and a good editor can fix this anyway. Grammar is important, but we already know enough grammar to communicate, grammar is most important in non-fiction. Grammar is fluid and flexible in all aspects of each instance of communication. Grammar is closely associated with style. Editing is important here, too, both by the author and by another. The workspace is just a personal preference, and yeah, it doesn’t hurt to get ideas from others, or just solve your own problems in the workspace.

Although I got a few ideas, I did not learn from this book.

Most distracting, the kindle book had two "bonus" books included, by the same author. It made me feel I was reading a larger text, which was intimidating in a way. This book's text was about 15% of the text in the kindle document, with the "bonus" taking up 85%.

[Johnathan Morton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book can help you find out the deeper meaning behind why you want to create/write in the first place. It also offers practical insights and motivations for new writes as they sharpen their craft.

[ukuklele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Membaca buku ini untuk pemantik menulis lagi, secara kreatif. Namun, seperti yang dinyatakan subjudulnya, buku ini memang tidak berisi 1000 writing prompts. Memang ada bab berisi latihan-latihan untuk mengasah kreativitas, tapi bab-bab selebihnya cenderung berupa "pembinaan mental" untuk menjadi penulis era kiwari: mulai dari motivasi menulis, kelola emosi, sampai kiat-kiat publikasi mandiri. Maka buku catatan saya pun bukannya terisi oleh karangan-karangan singkat pemuas batin sesaat sebagaimana yang diharapkan semula, melainkan sekadar uraian tentang kemandekan menulis. Jadi buku ini hanya menemani saya berputar-putar di pergulatan yang itu-itu saja.

Seandainya buku ini dibaca belasan sampai dua puluhan tahun lalu ketika saya masih remaja banyak energi yang baru kenal dunia, sepertinya semangat menulis itu bakal semakin bergelora. Namun sekarang ini saya sudah sampai di masa relate sooo much sama "Derai-derai Cemara"-nya Chairil Anwar, yang kebetulan pula masa di mana sudah sebegitu banyak tulisan dan setiap pengarangnya ingin diperhatikan. Menulis kreatif bagai menggarami lautan. Tetap diupayakan, tanpa tahu lagi buat apaan mungkin sekadar karena kebiasaan.

cemara menderai sampai jauh
terasa hari akan jadi malam
ada beberapa dahan di tingkap merapuh
dipukul angin yang terpendam

aku sekarang orangnya bisa tahan
sudah berapa waktu bukan kanak lagi
tapi dulu memang ada suatu bahan
yang bukan dasar perhitungan kini

hidup hanya menunda kekalahan
tambah terasing dari cinta sekolah rendah
dan tahu, ada yang tetap tidak diucapkan
sebelum pada akhirnya kita menyerah

sumber: https://id.wikisource.org/wiki/Derai-...

[Julie Berthelsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than mechanics of writing

This is a very readable and practical book on how to write. It goes into the psychology of it all. It covers how to discover your true motivation to write and the things that will spark your creativity, and much more. Very good book!

[Janice Dymonik Day]

I love to write things that is amazing and interesting😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[Sophie Bowns · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt it was quite basic but probably a good beginners book

[KmNO4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written (it'd better be!) easy read, a must for all starry-eyed would-be writers.

[Mére · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This book was very helpful to me. I would definitely recommend it to any aspiring writer wanting advice on where to start.

[Daniel Horst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining!

It's a great read, I wished there was more content, but can't complain too much, considering its readable in one sesh.