I was ecstatic when I found out that we were going to be writing fiction short stories of our own, but as soon as I sat down to begin writing the thing I completely froze, all my thoughts rushed out of my head, and for once I experienced having an internal critic- nothing that I though of was good enough, everything was boring! And I couldn't help but feel the slightest bit sorry for myself because I used to be a marvelous creative writer! But the more I though about it, the more I realized that the only thing that I have to blame for my momentary writer's block was school!
The drab art of writing ABOUT fiction leaves nothing to the imagination- each word is carefully defined and discussed to so s to create a cohesive argument about th author's meaning or intentions in writing the piece. We have become lawyers, arguing the meaning of a comma, creating arguments from nothing and supporting them in the most lifeless way possible. After doing this, and only thins, for four years it is understandable that the creative process came slow to me, and possibly to others. Because writing fiction is about being completely uninhibited, using the left side of your brain to create a picture, not pick it apart. And I have to say, writing fiction is much more enjoyable than this academic stuff we've been asked to do for so many years. Interestingly enough, though, teaching students how to write about fiction is on the same level as writing fiction—my students say that I’m a dork because I get so excited about it!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
I Miss Creative Writing!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
+032.jpg)
1 comment:
I couldnt agree with you more. I feel that really school is to blame for our lack of cretivity at times. While we are acting as lawyesr arguing commas, the school system is acting like firefighters, extinguishing all our cerative fires. THen one day in a class we are told to write creatively, and it is not till this time that we arealize that our fire has been extinguisehed. As future teachers i feel that t it is our obligation to present the creative writing platform to our students in a way that shows them what is so importatn about it.
Granted the analyzing of any kind of work is an art that we have to master, it must not be at the cost of the death of creativity. As it is, our creative outlets in the form of dance and art have been reduced to small nuggests hardly recognizable. But writing should not be reduced to such a state
Post a Comment