Elizabeth Gilbert on Creative Genius.

Writers much watch this video.



"Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk."

I really loved watching this talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, she of the Eat, Pray, Love fame.

She talks about "genius" and how our society has moved from "having" genius to "being" genius and the problems that can occur because of this. As a Christian, I really liked her take on the "genius" being "on loan" to us. It's not that "I" am the smartypants, it's that something smart was created through something I did.

She's currently getting ready to publish her second book. Could you imagine writing the follow up book to Eat, Pray, Love?

What do you think about creative genius? Do you think that some people are more creative than others or do you think that creativity flows through a person instead of from a person?

What can you do to increase your creativity?

Spark your creativity

I don't know about you, but sometimes my creative juices have done dried up. (No, I'm not Southern, I'm channelling... ) But between the early mornings and late evenings, it can be hard to get anything written. Even blog posts. (Um, did you notice?)

But here's a cool little site to get you writing:

One Word

You have 60 seconds to write about one word.

Because he asked me to...

A Third!

I got an idea for a third book proposal! Yippeee!

I used to be one of those writers who wondered how other writers got so many ideas. I mean really, where did they come from? Out of thin air? How can one incident spur on an entire novel?

My first book (the one that is sold and being written) came from a conversation with a friend about our favourite books and we realized that there was a hole. I decided to fill it.

The second idea came up in a conversation with my agent.

The third came today whiel I was bouncing my daughter on my knee and singing a song. One line struck me and I thought "gee, that would look good on a shirt." Driving later in the day I realized that you could write a whole book on the topic.

Or *I* could write a whole book on the topic! YAY for ideas!

Cultivating ideas takes work, just like cultivating a garden. I keep a running list of every single idea that pops into my head. I have a notepad right beside me and when an idea comes, I write it down. By doing this I've begun to take note of how good ideas sound, what elements they need, how I could tweak an idea and when to just let one go.

Sometimes it's the ones you let go that come back later, stronger and smarter. They just need to stew a little on the back burner.

Podcast: Secrets of The Writing Mother

This week I participated in an interview with Lyle Lachmuth. I credit Lyle for helping me to get a little 'unstuck' creatively. I may not be following his suggestions exactly (it's too coooold to go out for a walk!!) but I did take them to heart and think on them.

Part of getting unstuck is finding a catalyst. It's like getting your truck stuck in the mud. Sometimes you just need a little something to get some traction and then you need to get out on your own.

The podcast is up on The Writing Mother web site, right on the front page...