What is creativity? Is it the ability to create something brand new?
Or is it simply a way to look at ordinary things from an unusual perspective?
Everybody understands this concept in their own way.
But all of us want to be creative. We want new and original ideas to come to mind easily and without effort.
Despite common misconceptions, creativity isn’t a natural talent — it can be trained.
Some people are more disposed to creative writing, but without constant practice, they’ll waste their talent.
At the same time, people without any “natural talent” can become great writers if they are ready to put in enough effort and time.
Inspiration, writer’s block, and creativity as a whole can be partially explained by neuroscience.
The brain is an extremely complex mechanism, and we haven’t revealed all of its secrets yet. But scientists keep trying!
Take a look at these surprising creative writing facts to learn more about creativity and creative writing.
Creative Writing Facts: Creative writers don’t have a dominant right brain — Fact No. 1
We all know that the brain consists of two hemispheres.
Those hemispheres include specific regions that control certain functions of the body, as well as cognitive activities.
Many people think that the dominant part of the brain determines our strengths.
For example, left-brained people are considered to be better at exact sciences, while right-brained people are more creative and artistic.
This suggestion is true and false at the same time. In fact, the left hemisphere can be called an “analytical” one.
Nobel Prize winner Roger W. Sperry discovered that the left part of the brain is responsible for logic, linear thinking, facts, etc.
On the other hand, the right hemisphere is more about vision and imagination.
The right hemisphere “thinks” with images, and the left one — with words and symbols.
However, creative thinkers, as well as any other type of people, don’t have a dominant hemisphere!
The two parts of the brain constantly work together, and researchers haven’t found any proof to the theory of the dominant brain hemisphere.
Creative Writing Facts: Creative writing is similar to a professional sport — Fact No. 2
German neurologist Martin Lotze has discovered that the brain activity of professional writers during the writing process is similar to the brain activity of sportsmen during a match.
Thanks to MRI scanners, scientists have looked inside the heads of novice and professional writers.
They discovered which parts of their brains worked actively when they produced a story and wrote it down.
Surprisingly, there is a significant difference between the brain activity of the two groups.
Amateur writers use mostly their vision-processing regions. Perhaps, they see the pictures that they want to describe in written form.
More experienced writers use speech-processing regions. Instead of pictures, they tell the story with their “inner voice” before writing it down.
Creative Writing Facts: Introverts are better creative writers — Fact No. 3
If you think that loneliness is horrible for your mood, you’re probably right. But it can be good for your creativity.
Researchers have discovered that thinking alone can be beneficial for our creative abilities.
Moreover, Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi discovered that exceptional creative thinkers are more likely to be introverts.
Thus, isolation and solitude can become a source of numerous creative ideas.
When we’re alone, nothing distracts us from the cognitive processes. We can structure our thoughts and dig deeper.
Of course, teamwork is also great for creative brainstorming.
However, it’s better to generate ideas on your own and then discuss them with other members of your group.
You don’t have to go to the mountains or countryside to focus on your writing.
A half an hour in a quiet place where no one will disturb you is totally enough to relax and look inside your mind.
Creative Writing Facts: Openness to new things boosts creativity — Fact No. 4
Why do we feel inspired when we get new experiences? The answer to this question has a scientific basis.
Exploration is tightly connected with the transmitter, dopamine. It helps us to learn and stay motivated.
Thus, openness to new things helps the brain to create new neural pathways.
The mind becomes more flexible and imaginative, and we’re capable of generating more original ideas.
Besides, new impressions are always good material for a story.
Creative Writing Facts: Creativity isn’t stable — Fact No. 5
Despite the similarity between professional sports and creative writing, the improvement of skills doesn’t work the same way in these spheres.
If you train your muscles, you become a bit stronger every day. For example, you can lift 400 lbs. today, you’ll be able to lift the same weight tomorrow.
Unfortunately, creativity doesn’t work like this. Even if you’re a professional writer, you still have good ideas and bad ideas.
Your main responsibility is to tell the difference. Of course, skilled writers learn how to avoid common mistakes.
But they still might have writer’s block or the fear of a blank page.
The most important thing is to be able to admit your mistakes and move forward.
Creative Writing Facts: Writer’s block is totally normal — Fact No. 6
And speaking of writer’s block, neuroscience can explain this disturbing phenomenon.
When creative writers stare at the screen in despair and can’t type one word — it’s actually fine.
You can’t be creative and original at every moment of your life!
Artistic activities are very complex for the brain. We have to use different regions of our hemispheres actively, and that’s exhausting.
The brain doesn’t like to work too much. That’s why it picks habitual patterns to simplify the thinking process.
You shouldn’t blame your brain for that — it simply wants to waste less energy. Unfortunately, this economy can be harmful to our creativity.
But don’t worry! You should take a break, or distract yourself for some time (hours, or possibly days).
Your brain will restore energy and will be ready to produce new creative ideas!
So, colygraphia (a scientific name for writer’s block) is totally normal. Don’t panic, and take a deep breath! You can start writing tomorrow.
Creative Writing Facts: Trauma can be good for creativity— Fact No. 7
The phenomenon of post-traumatic growth explains how tragedies and traumas may have a positive impact on our cognitive skills.
After a major loss or another extremely negative experience, the brain does everything possible to restore your mentality and get your life together.
It begins to discover new ways of looking into ordinary things, and that may become a key to the growth of creative abilities.
This doesn’t mean you should dive into negative experiences and “enjoy” the consequences.
However, if something bad happens, you should try to look at the situation from another perspective.
You can be sure that your brain will help you find a better way to live after a tragedy.
Creative Writing Facts: Daydreaming enhances creative thinking — Fact No. 8
Surprisingly, the mind’s wandering isn’t useless. Daydreaming can be beneficial for creativity.
You shouldn’t build sand castles during important meetings or job interviews. However, letting your mind free can be helpful.
When we daydream, our conscious blends with our subconscious and creates unusual ideas and thoughts.
Positive daydreaming can also be good for our mental health. Thinking about pleasant things even at an inappropriate moment can make us feel better.
Creative Writing Facts: Creativity may correlate with IQ— Fact No. 9
Intelligent people handle new information easier than people with an average IQ. New data = new neurons = creative ideas.
And we aren’t talking about people who just store the information from encyclopedias and never use it again.
We are talking about people who are involved in cognitive activities regularly.
Flexibility and sharpness of the brain can help them process new information and build concept networks.
In such a manner, they get more ways to combine knowledge and experience to produce creative writing.
Smarties are better at everything.
Creative Writing Facts: Creativity can be trained — Fact No. 10
Our creative skills depend on many factors. High intelligence, new experiences, and solitude may have a positive impact on creativity.
At the same time, the daily routine and stress may kill it. We can’t remain in the creative state all the time and avoid an artistic crisis.
However, we can take some steps to develop creative skills. Creativity, as well as any other ability, can be trained.
We can make our minds more flexible and open to new ideas. This will help us to look at life from an unusual point of view and broaden our horizons.
If you don’t have time to improve your creative skills, don’t worry.
The GPA labs writers can provide you with an original essay, script, poem, or blog post at an affordable price.
But if you’re determined to fight to the end and become a skilled creative writer, then we have some recommendations for you.
Creative Writing Facts: How to Boost Creative Writing Skills?
If you want to become a better writer, you have to practice regularly. As we’ve mentioned earlier, creative writing is similar to professional sports.
To become “faster, higher, and stronger,” sportsmen train their muscles. To become more creative, you should also do these exercises regularly:
1. Creative Writing Facts: Read books that inspire you
A creative idea is two old ideas combined together. And there is nothing wrong with it.
Even great authors started their careers from imitating their writing idols. We don’t recommend you to plagiarize.
But regular reading will broaden your vocabulary and give you more opportunities to express your ideas and thoughts.
2. Creative Writing Facts: Write every day
Any skill requires regular practice. Creative writing is no exception. You don’t have to write a short story every day.
Try to make notes about your ideas or feelings, write down inspirational quotes, or simply describe your day.
Neuroscientists have found that writing with your hand makes you smarter. Forget about your laptop — it’s the right moment to buy a nice notebook!
3. Creative Writing Facts: Learn a foreign language
Everybody knows that learning foreign languages is good for the brain.
The mind becomes more flexible, and our cognitive skills improve. There is no direct evidence that learning a foreign language makes us more creative.
However, this activity boosts our multitasking abilities that, in their turn, can be correlated with creativity.
4. Creative Writing Facts: Keep a diary
A diary should become an indispensable part of your life if you want to develop your creative writing skills.
Firstly, keeping a journal will help you to write regularly. Secondly, expressive writing has a great impact on your psychological health.
Finally, when you try to express your own feelings in written form, you learn how to describe the emotions and thoughts of your future literary characters.
5. Creative Writing Facts: Pick another perspective
Creativity is also about seeing unusual aspects and nuances in ordinary things. Can you imagine the life of a coffee cup?
Or, how does a pigeon see the world? Try a different angle! You may also pick one of the classic literary works and rewrite its parts from the perspective of secondary characters.
What does Benvolio think about the romance between his cousin and Juliet? How does Mrs. Hudson feel about Sherlock’s attitude?
Ask unexpected questions and boost your creativity!
6. Creative Writing Facts: Cultivate your personal writing style
If you want to be creative, you should avoid cliches as much as possible.
Find a list of the most common phrases, or copy sentences from the books yourself.
They should be typical and banal, like “night fell” or “she burst into tears.” Rewrite these phrases in your individual manner.
This exercise will help you to avoid trite expressions in your writing and develop your unique style.
Creative Writing Facts: Conclusion
Creativity isn’t something that people are born with. It can be trained liked any other cognitive skill.
Daydreaming, new experiences, and learning a foreign language may boost your creativity.
But you also should practice your creative writing regularly to achieve a better result.
If you do the exercises that we’ve listed, your essay or stories will amaze your readers.