Freeing Your Creativity: A Writer's Guide
Creativity Exercises: Marshall Cook's Out-of-Print Classic
Aug 12, 2008
Freeing Your Creativity by Marshall Cook is an out-of-print classic book that can be purchased on the Internet or in used book stores for a fraction of its original cost.
Marshall Cook believes that when you were a child, your mind was a wild garden of creativity. You were free to dream and tell yourself stories. But as you grew up, some of that rambunctious creativity was stunted, perhaps by crusty teachers who shredded your stories in the name of the grammar god. Your Big Mind, that joyful fountain of ideas became blocked by a Little Mind full of rules and doubts and “Thou Shalt Nots.” The purpose of Freeing Your Creativity is to help you reclaim your creative birthright and discover the joy it will bring to your writing and life.
Freeing Your Creativity was reviewed by School Library Journal and described it as "a down-to-earth discussion that includes a plethora of ways to stimulate self-espression. Concrete examples of creativity from Cook's life are shared in a understandable and enthusiastic style."
Freeing Your Creativity Chapters
- What is creativity.
- Making Your Writing Your Own
- Writing for Its Own Sake
- Do You have What it Takes?
- What's Getting in Your Way?
- The Art of Paying Attention
- Nurturing and Nourishing Your Infant Ideas
- Creative Gathering
- Creative Procrastination
- Assembling Tools of the Trade
- Previewing Coming Attractions
- Keeping that Writing Appointment
- Making the Trial Run
- Re-creation. Or is it Recreation
Freeing Your Creativity also includes a Valedictory: The 21-Day Miracle Writing Plan suggested by Cook includes investing thirty minutes a day for twenty-one days that will help the writer tap into original ideas and images that flow through the subconscious.
Suggestions include writing about your problems, writing about your life, making up a story, writing a letter to Jesus or Gandhi or Robert E. Lee or Babe Ruth or to whomever you want. Answer your own letter, describe the first person you ever kissed and meant it.
Freeing Your Creativity Guidelines
- Don't Stop: Keep writing,no matter what. Don't let your pen or pencil stop for the full thirty minutes.
- Don't Think: Don't analyze,evaluate, criticize of calculate.
- Don't Lie: Don't write what you think you ought to write
Freeing Your Creativity is written with humor and sensitivity and is inspirational while dispelling many of the myths that writers may believe. Cook says to write from your truth, trust yourself, let the writing happen through you.
Although Freeing Your Creativity was written in 1992, it remains one of the most insighful books about how to get started, especially for beginning writer. Most importantly, many of the topics and exercises were used in Marshall L. Cook's classes on writing and creativity.
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