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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Creative Journey Continues, The Sequel (Oh and a Book Giveaway, too)


The author, Joseph conrad, said that "a creative imagination is one of the most important attributes we can possess. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of life.

Marcus Arilias, an ancient emperor of Rome, revealed that creativity profoundly affects a person's life. In his words: "Man's life is dyed by the color of his imagination".

What does this mean to us as authors? Maybe it means that we have to be open-minded. Not so open-minded that our brains fall out, but enough that we are able to listen to and accept new, original, and innovative ideas to stir the imagination.

So how do we know if we are really open-minded? History has proven that most people are not. For example: In the beginning the railroad was regarded as useless by many. People claimed that the trains frightened the cattle and started fires.

The British Association for the Advancement of Science claimed that the horseless carriage would fail because the human driver did not have an advantage for the intelligence of a horse in shaping its path.

I could go on but I think you get the idea. So how do we know if we are opened minded? To find the answer, I went in search of a key to unlock the door of a closed mind and I found 'curiosity'. Now curiosity is a close relative to creativity, and though I didn't have time to research its roots, I would say it is most likely a sibling. Its responsibility is to fuel the imagination.

As I was writing my second book, "Journey of the Promise," I became curiously aware that I was communicating with the characters. By the time I finished the third chapter I had gone back and completely re-written the first two because my main character, Callie McAllister, didn't want to be a grandmother as I had envisioned her. So, out of curiosity, I decided to find out where this story would lead if I let Callie tell it. I found that once I stopped trying to control the story, new characters began to introduce themselves, and I watched, and I listened, as they became part of an incredible story leading Callie through secret rooms and hidden caves to fulfill a promise she had made in another time. It was a plot and a story I had never intended.

I want to share this book in a book giveaway. Now, I'm not sure how one decides who gets the book, but I hope lots of you respond to my blog so that I can use my open-minded curiosity to create a great idea in giving away my book.

Thank you.

18 comments:

Shauna said...

I would love to be entered in the book drawing!

rebecca said...

That's an interesting way to tell a story. It makes sense once you have characters developed, let them free.

Jolynn said...

I really liked your quotes you had in the begining of your blog. I also liked the great advice. One of the most important things an author needs is imagination.
I would really like your book.

Kami said...

Great point of view! Let the characters take you where they will instead of molding them. Love it! Sounds like it will be an interesting book. Count me in on your giveaway. :)

Cheri Chesley said...

Great post. I'd also like to be entered in the book drawing. And I believe imagination needs daily exercise, just like our bodies.

Cathy said...

Please enter me into the drawing. I'm always looking for a good book.

Janice said...

Loved the post about Callie taking over and rewriting your story. Hope I can win "her" book!

Impkatt said...

I think that no matter who you are, imagination plays a pivotal part in your life...or at least I hope that's how it works *lol*
Thanks for offering us a chance to win your book.

Julie said...

I'd like to practice being more open-minded by reading your book. Thanks for the chance!

Sharon said...

excellent post! love the quotes! i would love to read the book .. thanks for the opportunity!

Artzy Heart said...

This is great! I never thought of looking for a writer's blog! I have a blog for teaching and another for the artsy stuff I do, but one of the reasons I LOVE TO BLOG is the chance I have to write. An most would-be writers, I have a couple of things I'd like to publish, but totally lack the courage to even try. This will be a great opportuntiy to check out your blog and the other writers listed here. Thank you so much!

C. Michelle Jefferies said...

Theres a huge gap between writing that totally plotted character defined book that will make some writers extreemly happy and some pull thier hair out, and that free flowing write by the seat of out pants book that also does the same to writers.

I think as writers it's up to us to find that spot where we are happiest with writing. I fall somewhere in the middle. I am a freewriter that relys on a basic outline to write my story. If I go too rigid, it drives my muse away. Yet without structure my story goes all over the board.

Often times I am pleasantly surprised when a character does something so out of characxter I have to keep it.

I'd love to get a copy of your book.

Michelle

S. Chaffee said...

This sounds fabulous! I love being creative (although writting isn't exactly my strongest source). I can't wait to see where the main character leads us in this book. It sounds very interesting.

Chantele Sedgwick said...

I would love a copy as well! It sounds interesting!

Danyelle Ferguson said...

Please enter me!

And there are lots of fun ways to choose the winner. You can have a kid pick a name out of a bowl, point to a name on the screen, or count up the entries and put them into random.com, which will generate a number & voila! A winner!

Thank you for the opportunity to receive a copy of your book!

Valerie Ipson said...

I would love to be entered in your book drawing as well.

Lady Araujo said...

I would LOVE to win.
Please, enter me.
God's great blessings

marthanadnny(at)hotmail(dot)com

Rachelle Christensen said...

Enter me!
That was an interesting post with some neat ideas. I liked reading about how you created your characters, or should I say, how they "created" themselves? :)