by Elton Gahr

Created on: June 16, 2009   Last Updated: June 17, 2009

The difference between art and craft in writing is creativity. Nearly all writing can be lifted to the level of art with enough creativity just as it can be lowered to the level of craft if enough of the creativity is removed and replaced with formula. Craftsman writers are often more successful and useful than artists through the use of that formula the truly important changes are always created by artists.

The first thing to do if you want to move beyond the rules of writing is to understand that formula better than anyone else. This may seem counter intuitive but without a full and complete understanding of the formula and how it works you'll never know how you can change it and make it still work. Picasso is a perfect example of this. Known for creating art that defied formula and often looked far less like what he was drawing than his contemporaries Picasso first learned to paint realistically, and his realistic paintings are quite good. This is because those who simply go out to defy convention without understanding it often fall into even worse cliches than they are trying to avoid because not only are they using unoriginal ideas and formulas but they are using unoriginal ideas and formulas that aren't as good as the original.

Once you understand the formula well the key is to begin to experiment. Rarely does changing everything work. Consider it like an equation with one side that is constant. That constant is a desire for art. The other side may have fifty variables but they all have to add together to get that constant. You can adjust any one and still have something good, you may even be able to adjust a few of them, but if you simply change them all the odds of coming out with the correct number are tiny. So try things out. Make one small change and see how it works.

Once you have began to experiment the only thing left to do is to work harder than anyone else. Writings a competitive field and the only way for an artist to be successful in the long term is to be better than the competition. Work every day and try something new. Sometimes it will work and sometimes it won't and often you'll be extremely surprised which it is. Something that seems silly can work perfectly while a seemingly brilliant idea fails completely.

Formulas are a great tool for those who want a trade or a craft, but true formulas are the bane of art. They allow us to create things that appear to be art but without the creativity that is the true mark of art. This may allow someone to be successful writer but rote use of formula is not art in the sense of art as a creative process.

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