Slightly old news I suppose, but a few days ago I came across this very interesting and thought-provoking speech by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Prey, Love. She talks about the fact that so many authors and artists fall down the route of self-destruction once the pressure on them becomes too high – in fact, she’s feeling this same pressure as a best-selling author. She uses history and the present to suggest this strange, yet oddly interesting idea: we aren’t actually geniuses, we have geniuses.
I personally think this is a healthy mindset, although I don’t think I’d ever be able to truly make myself believe in it. The idea to step aside and take our distance from our work and creative process is a good one: it prevents overblown egos as well as extreme depression.
Have you had sudden flashes of inspiration? Have you ever felt like your creative process is external, rather than internal? Share your thoughts at Write to Done as well as below!
I could start by saying that yes, I have. Just yesterday I was pondering my novel in a bus, listening to some Groove Addicts, when suddenly, it hit me. Damn. Then I knew how I should’ve done it… This means tons of rewriting! And just like that, I know how to solve one of the biggest problems in my book, as well as spark some true action and atmosphere in the jarring, dragging middle-section of the book.
I personally thing that Geniuses exist our subconcious. We don’t have full control of them; they just kind of… come and go. They work whenever they please and let us know what they want when they want to. Inspiration comes in the form of dreams, brainstorming and relaxation – these are all situations where the wall between us and our subconsious is at its thinnest.
Writing Inspiration 