Creativity Week

Last week I talked about enhancing your creativity. But I don’t want you to get complacent about it—I don’t want you to think that if you hang out in new places suddenly you’ll be super creative. It’s going to take work. So I propose filling the coming week with creativity-inspiring experiences—and take notes!

Sunday: Usually Sunday brings with it a little extra time. So take advantage and drive or take a subway/bus to a street you’ve never been to before. Walk down the street and pick out one house or apartment—then imagine setting a story in that house/apartment. Think of three people you could imagine living in that house or apartment.

Monday: As you drive to work, imagine your car breaking down in front of one of the houses you pass everyday on your very familiar morning drive. Your cell battery is toast so you’re forced to walk up to that house and knock on the door to ask to use the phone. Who answers the door? What happens when they invite you in the house to use the phone?

Tuesday: At work, imagine you discover your boss’s secret. What would the secret be? Did she lie on her resume to get the job? Is she having an affair with one of her co-workers? Is she pregnant and afraid it will get in the way of her upcoming promotion? Is she plotting to discredit someone in the office so that he’s no longer competition in her rise up the corporate ladder?

Wednesday: Go to a movie after work and imagine three endings for the film that are different than the ending you just saw. 

Thursday: On your lunch hour, go to a coffee shop or food truck you’ve never been to before. Focus on one person who works there and imagine the business goes under and they have to find a new job. What would they do? Imagine at least two different jobs they could try for.

Friday: Happy hour—but you don’t get to go. Just sit in the parking lot of—or at a bus stop across the street from—a bar/restaurant people frequent when they want to have a drink after work on Fridays, and watch people going in and coming out. Think about what each person is expecting as they head in. Can you tell anything about their expectations from how they’re dressed and how they approach opening the door of the place? And as people emerge—alone or as couples, can you imagine how their evenings will go from here?

Saturday: Head outdoors to a park across town—a new park, one you haven’t spent any time in. Imagine finding a lost dog. How would you go about finding its owner? Would you question others walking their dogs to ask if they’ve seen the lost dog before? Imagine three story ideas based on the people you meet in the park… one funny, one dangerous, and one adventurous.

OK, you’ve spent a full week of exploring the new and imagining characters/stories built around those new situations, people and places. Are any of them worth exploring further? As you look over your notes, does one stand out more than another? Or can you combine two of the experiences you’ve had in one story?

But perhaps the most important question is can you incorporate this kind of creative observation behavior into your life. All the time. Every day. Can it become the new normal for you? If it can, your creativity as a writer has a real chance to take off.

Copyright © Diane Lake

27Nov16

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com