1 of 7

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 6

whateverit doesn't really matter. I just need something for him to do, something interesting. Not something clich, but something a guy like this would actually do after work."
She responds, "Just have him go to a strip club."
I sit there in the low light coming from her desk lamp, my back hunched over and my fingers prepared to type down what she said. A strip club; there it is, a tad clich but nothing ridiculous. I can make it work. A bit of time for plugs, a bit of time for beer, and a bit of time foryou get the idea. The time is filled and the character can believably return home late to have his heart broken by his wife. Perfect.

But how did I come to this point? Through random free thought, did I come upon these ideas on my own accord and through my own individual mental creation? Absolutely not, and it's obvious. As I sat in desperation with an important short story due the next day, I was stuck; there was nowhere to go in my mind. Therefore, without conscious effort, I moved my attention to my external influences, which provided me with paths, threads, simple ideas that could perpetuate my own. The episode of Arrested Development (created by people) provided me with hair-plugs, my beer (created by people) gave me the idea ofbeer, and my girlfriend (a person) gave me the strip-club. Although I did not come up with these concepts on my own, are they my own? As I compose a scene in which my protagonist takes a shot while he's ordering a beer, should I be feeling guilty for stealing?
Some would say yes, but most would say no. I would say no, downright, because everything we do, everything we interact with or think about, is a product of collaboration. It is responsible for buildings, roads, religions, education, automobiles, alcohol, love, lust, Goldfish crackers, and even drugs. Because language is our means of communication created collaboratively, basically anything humanity has or knows is a product of collaboration. In the realm of writing or creative writing, this concept holds equal merit. Charlotte Thralls gives precise examples, stating, "Active readers function as collaborative partners; the writer's sense of anticipated audience constitutes a form of collaborationand sources that the writer has read exert their influence" (Howard 55). As a writer creates a piece, inspiration comes anywhere from past experience, the people surrounding him/her, the books, shows, or films recently explored, to even a meal he/she ate for lunch. Either way, all of

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Disciplining inspiration for creative writing?
We want to hear your view. Write now!