![]() No one wants to read about characters who always behave as expected. “A story needs a break in a pattern to get it going…If everything is perfect all the time, there isn’t a story.” -Atwood Try a few different keys in the ignition to see what works for you. No one can tell you what will rev your creativity engine. Try writing quickly and try writing slowly, editing as you go. Try writing while listening to music, without listening to music, after going on a long run, after going on a short walk, at the start of the day, and at the end of the day. I try to go as fast as I can and then I have to backtrack a lot and fill in revisions.” -AtwoodĪtwood explains, “There is no set of surefire rules that are going to work for everyone.” Many writers will try to tell you that you need to do X, Y, or Z, but those things may or may not work for you.Įvery writer’s process is different, so it’s important to learn what works for you. Determine what process works best for you And help the reader envision the cannonball blast of a baseball colliding with cleanup hitter’s swing as they hear the CRRRAAAACKKK of the bat.Ĥ. Waft the buttery scent of popcorn toward your reader as they slurp down a refreshing 20-ounce Coke. If you want the reader to feel what it’s like to sit in the bleachers at a baseball game, then enlist the help of the sun to drain your reader’s lips of moisture while wetting their brow with sweat. The writer’s best opportunity to engage readers is to appeal to every one of the five senses, including the ones that don’t work well on the big screen: smell, taste, and touch. It’s tough to top the visual experience of a blockbuster movie. “ can’t do smell yet, and we ought to be grateful for that.” -Atwood “Your goal is to keep your reader believing in your story even though both of you know it’s fiction.” 3. “It’s important to get those details right because if you get them wrong, it throws off the reader’s belief in your story,” she explains. Atwood says she didn’t want any readers to be able to dismiss her story as “unrealistic,” so she used fact to create stronger fiction. In fact, every core element of The Handmaid’s Tale is based upon a real historical event. For her book The Handmaid’s Tale, she researched totalitarian sects in Romania, military leadership in Nazi Germany, cults and arranged marriages, and the psychology of brainwashing. “It’s best to check your facts and factoids and even such things as when did people start using plastic garbage bags? What color were the refrigerators in 1960? When were pantyhose invented? You may think you know these things, but you really should go back and double-check.” -AtwoodĪtwood conducted hours of research for her novel Alias Grace, which is based on two notorious murders in 1843. That’s when the ideas really begin to flow. If you’re writing a novel, meditate and put yourself in the mind of one of your characters for a bit. If you’re writing leadership advice, listen to a podcast or read a business book. If you’re writing about nature, go spend some time in nature. If you’re struggling to get started, find a way to immerse yourself in the topic. We must buckle up and get to work before we can expect to receive any flashes of brilliance. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”ĭetermination - not inspiration - is the chauffeur of creativity. Somerset Maugham: “I write only when inspiration strikes. You’re not just sitting there, waiting for lightning to strike.” -AtwoodĪtwood’s advice is similar to an old quote from W. ![]() “Nobody knows where ideas come from, but let us say, if you immerse yourself in something, whether it be music, painting, or writing…you are going to get ideas about it. Here are the top 13 lessons I learned from her MasterClass: 1. (MasterClass is a subscription program where for $180/year, you can watch high-quality courses from experts in various fields.) I recently had the opportunity to watch Atwood’s MasterClass on writing. Her novels like The Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx and Crake have not only garnered her awards but have also painted a speculative reality for readers - a world that is different and darker than our own. Margaret Atwood has written over 50 books of fiction, essays, and poetry. ![]()
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