What Happened to the Creative Process?

Am I the only one who feels like the romance of a “creative process” is kind of dead in 2021? Gone are the days of Hemingway drinking whiskey and muttering to himself at his typewriter, of Henry Miller working “calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand”. A quick google search will reveal about a thousand ways to figure out your creative process, but almost all of them will say something along the lines of “figure out what environment works for you, sit down, and write!”.

Can you imagine Anais Nin throwing her laptop in her purse and plunking down in a Starbucks, begging inspiration to strike? No! And perhaps I’m romanticizing the drunken, hedonistic writers of old, but what is the point of being a writer if we can’t romanticize just a little? Below are my tips to crafting a zany, sexy, fun creative process that would do all of our literary heroes proud.

STEP 1: write anywhere. Throw out that rule that says we are most productive when we are sitting with our backs straight at a desk with a particular tone playing in the background. Try sitting cross legged on the floor, lying in bed on your stomach, in a park with your back against an old oak tree, in the bath, or at the beach! Perhaps you work best with the hum of a cafe in your ears, or in the silence of the library; sitting on a bench in the museum, or at a hotel room where you don’t sleep a la Maya Angelou! When inspiration hits, and where inspiration hits, it is your duty as a writer to write.

STEP 2: add some ritual. To me, a glass of wine adds a touch of romance and ritual to absolutely anything, but for you it might be a cup of tea, a bottle of sparkling water, or even a glass of milk. Pick a sexy classic cocktail like a dirty martini or a manhattan, and carefully craft one for yourself every time you sit down to write. Or just squeeze a little lemon into the glass of water you’re sipping on.

Ritual isn’t just in the beverages, either (though that is my favourite part). Maybe you love to write in a cozy robe after a long bath, or when you’re all sweaty from working out? Maybe inspiration hits immediately after you’ve made love to someone new, or when you’re hung over, or when you’ve had a particularly good fight with someone you love. Try going for a walk to get the creative juices flowing, or having a dance party to your favourite song. Whatever you do, make writing a beautiful part of a beautiful day — and an integral part, too.

STEP 3: agonize over what you’ll write — but write. I feel confident saying that all of the greatest artists spent a lot of time staring out the window or at the ceiling, thinking to themselves whatdoidowhatdoidowhatdoido???? but they didn’t let that stop them. Make it a labour of love — relish the time that you spend agonizing and tormenting yourself; it’s part of the creative process! Bask in the gentle glow of self doubt and endless, daunting possibilities. You are sitting in a space occupied by all of the world’s greatest minds.

Once you have come to terms with the fact that you may forever be trapped in this abyss, give in to it and write something anyways. Start putting down words. Flesh out a character, and let them decide where they’ll go. Start journalling about your day to see what parts could be of use to other people. Or maybe just start talking about how you don’t know what to write. There is only one condition to be a writer, and this is that you do, in the end, write.

That is, quite literally, all there is to it! Pick what makes you feel all hot and bothered and run with it – the more sexy, weird, and magical the better.

I can’t help but feel sometimes as if a lot of my problems, both personal and creative, would be solved by having better (and more fun!) rituals in place. I’m still working on perfecting mine – and I’m assuming I will keep working on it for the rest of my days. For now, though, I like to have fun with it. For me, writing is the only thing I’ve ever really felt good at – it’s the one space where I can trust myself to do a good job. And why should I feel the need to ruin that space with strict rules and other people’s “hacks”? All I really want to do is pour a glass of wine, share my thoughts with people, and be a drama queen.

And, hey, what else was the internet made for?