Ten Tips On Creativity

The "Ten Tips on Creativity" was created by author and writing teacher, Emily Hanlon in 1996. I have it posted on the tack board above my desk and refer to it often. (Not to be reprinted without permission of the author.)

1. Don't think. Our best ideas emerge as a spark or image. Like dreams, they make little sense. 
2. Creativity is cyclical. You will not be creative all the time. Creativity has its own internal rhythms. Listen to yours. 
3. Nothing kills creativity faster than criticism. Good critiquing leaves you inspired, not deflated.
4. Spend time listening to your Inner Critic. By becoming aware of its foul jabber, you can challenge its roadblocks. 
5. Being a creator is risky business. Learn to push ahead even when you are afraid. Learn to love the risk. 
6. Don't be afraid to fail. Every successful creator fails. Failure means you've uncovered a path that does not work.
7. Don't be afraid to write garbage. "Garbage" writing is the rich, fertile ground that allows your work to grow!
8. Nurture your creativity. It is as fragile as a budding flower. 
9. Be passionate. Creativity is passionate. Passion is creative. 
10. Learn your craft and write! The more you write, the better you get. Successful writers are disciplined writers.  

 I met Emily Hanlon in 1999 at a writers retreat. She guided me onto the fiction writer's journey and I haven't stopped the ride. She is a terrific writer, teacher and all around super human being. 

About this week's blogger:

Bonnie Tharp’s novel, Feisty Family Values was published by Five Star Publishing in hardback and released in February 2010. Patchwork Family was released in paperback by Belle Books Publishing in March of 2014, and continues the story of a very feisty family. You can find out more about Bonnie & her books at http://bdtharp.com.