There are those who believe we are either born with a creative streak, or else it is something we lack altogether. I've never believed it, and the authors below have all found ways to wake up the creative gifts that lie dormant in all of us. Choose the title that grabs you and curl up with a glass of Turkey Bush from the Australian Bush Flower Essences. Works for me!
I love Natalie Goldberg's work. The way she writes you would think she had just scribbled it down that way on the page without much of an effort. Don't be fooled! She tells it how it is - the joy, the pain and the zen of writing, and in the process reveals dozens of creative ways to get your own writing flowing.
If you like 'Bones', you'll love this one, and vice versa. These two books are my main antidotes to writer's block which, as the author points out, is a sure sign that 'monkey mind' has moved in and set up shop. If you want to access 'wild mind' where the muses hang out, read this and she'll take you there.
I've lost count of the number of people who have recommended this book to me, or told me how much it has helped them to awaken their creativity. The title gives the clue to the author's perspective - that creativity is an aspect of spirituality. The emphasis though, is on practical ways to overcome inertia and get down to creative business on a regular basis.
If you want to wake up the non-logical, creative aspect of your brain, it's the right hemisphere that we're talking about. It turns out that your non-dominant hand has a hotline to that very place, and the author guides you through the various ways to coax that connection into life. The results are quite astounding.
First published in 1938, this book has become a timeless classic on the art and craft of writing. The author is adamant that we can only write well when we write authentically - from our own true self, and this, she insists, is something that every single person is capable of, not just those who would already consider themselves to be 'writers'.
Anne Lammott is at times hilarious, at times poignant, always razor-sharp in her observations on life and the painstaking business of getting words down on paper. If there's one thing that shines through everything else it is her passion for writing, which borders on the obsessive, and her open-hearted honesty in describing her own roller-coaster journey of becoming a published author.
It is human nature to write, says the author, and it is good for the soul too. And she sets out to show how anyone with the will to do so can turn their ideas and experiences into some form of writing or other.
As with Natalie Goldberg, this author also writes from a zen buddhist perspective on the creative process as a spiritual practice. It's a lovely blend of spiritual wisdom and bare-bones practical advice for anyone attempting to cultivate the 'writing habit'.
This book blew my mind when I first came across it. The author started from the premise that all stories contain a hidden core theme, and that these themes are surprisingly few in number. He then spent thirty-five years of his life accumulating examples from every period and every genre you can think of. Although its quite a tome, it is eminently readable and hugely enjoyable.
I like this book, mostly for the way he makes the creative process seem like the most matter-of-fact thing in the world. It comes across as something that ordinary folk - people like you and me - could be doing, just as young children 'make art' all the time without even thinking about it. He also has a knack for breaking down those big, overwhelming, never-get-done projects into bite-size pieces.
If you're interested in the psychological, and even sociological aspects of creativity, this one might interest you. What is it that motivates us to be creative, and why is it such a scary prospect for so many of us? These are the kind of topics the author explores in these transcribed lectures.
A small collection of edited interviews with Michael Toms, all featuring the creative process in its many facets. I enjoy reading how other artists, musicians and writers relate to their creative pursuit, and found these dialogues quite fascinating.