Let's Be Creative by Merrillee Whren

 When I realized that September 14th is National Live Creative Day, I thought it is the perfect subject for a writing blog post. After all fiction writers are creative. We create characters, towns, scenarios, and make them all into a story for people to enjoy.

National Live Creative Day isn't a very old holiday. It has only been around since 2016 when a company in Chicago, Illinois made the holiday to encourage people to be more creative.

"Creative" comes from the Latin word, "creo," which means to create something. It was often associated with a divine creator. Creativity was not a concept in ancient times. A Polish poet referred to creativity in relation to poetry in the 17th century. Finally in 1926 Graham Walls published an article about the four stages of the creative process—preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. I can identify the preparation, incubation, and illumination in my writing process. I'm not sure about verification. Maybe that comes from the finished story. What do you think?

These days creativity isn't just limited to the arts and literature. Many in the business world consider thinking outside of the box as creativity. Creativity can apply to any aspect of life. What do you do to be creative?

 I've been thinking about which of my characters is the most creative, and I have to give the award to Amanda Reynolds, who is a singer/songwriter with Nashville-fame dreams. You can read her story in A Song to Call Ours, the fifth book in my Front Porch Promises series.

 

 

Merrillee Whren is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award presented by Romance Writers of American. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of forty-plus years, and has two grown daughters. Connect with her on her Facebook page and sign up for her newsletter.