WesTexGirl commented:
"I swear this blog inspires me to write. I remember the poetry class where it first became apparent to me that maybe I could write at least as well as those english majors, and then I think... only memoires, or fiction based loosely on reality. I can tell stories, but not make them up. "

Since her comment set off a whole deluge of writing-related navel-gazing, I thought I would work it into an actual post. So thanks for the spark!

That's how I felt in the first stage of wanting to write. I tried working on something when we were in Sweden, and John liked the writing, but the story was pretty cliched. When we got back to the States, I started lurking on an unofficial email list that accompanies an online writing critique circle. That group has a monthly writing challenge, where someone suggests a topic, so one month I gave it a go. That was the birth of my Godred story, which may not ever make it to published-story status, but that has been a good experience for me none-the-less. I think the pressure was off to [yadda yadda yadda Kilroy was here]<---(had to get up to go to the bathroom and John paid my open window a visit *g*) come up with something "original", so I was finally able to start teasing out some of my own creativity.

The writing list has been discussing recently whether one can be taught creativity. This came up in the context of university writing programs. It has been an interesting discussion. Pretty much everyone agrees that mechanics can be taught, but then there is a split over whether creativity is an inherent talent or a teachable skill. Someone brought up an interesting point, that creativity is basically a different way of looking at the world. I think I would agree with that, and that your way of looking at the world can change depending on your experiences. I don’t really like the phrase “expanding your horizons”, but that is exactly what teachers can help students do, especially if they didn’t actually notice or care that their horizons were narrow to start with.

You would be surprised at the things that pop into my head as fodder for stories. For instance, the idea behind the children’s book I mentioned was Hannah crawling into bed with us one night. Something that simple, and a whole story came out of it. Whether it is an *interesting* story or not...

But in the end, if you can’t sit down and put in the effort, it doesn’t really matter how creative you are, because you will not end up with a finished work. This is the part I am having the most difficulty with currently. Kee has the drive to put butt to chair and fingers to keys, and I am hoping to get a little of that in during the summer break (or pen to paper, in my case). I don't delude myself that I will make a living from writing, but I am itching to see my name in print (and not just something I printed out, ha ha), so maybe that will give me the impetus to put in the work necessary to get there.