Creativity

My uncle, who was an accomplished jazz drummer, once said, "Alcohol doesn't make you play any better; it just makes you think you're playing better." I think that applies equally to writing.

 

3-6 drinks seems like a lot, from a health stand-point, if you're writing regularly. I think you can probably get away with it when you're young or if you don't write that often, but as a regular, life-long habit, it seems a bit risky.

But I do sometimes have a drink or two if I'm stuck on a scene. I agree that it can relax your brain enough to let new ideas sneak in.

 

I've not tried alcohol to help my writing, but I'm almost certain it would. Trouble is I'm in a bit of a state, health wise, and regular drinking for me would be a bad idea. I just know I would write more freely, lucidly and better if I was, let's say tipsy.

I might buy a cheap bottle of plonk or something stronger and palatable like Schnapps and give it a try as an experiment. I've always wanted to see what my writing's like when slightly inebriated.

I'm quite excited now. My local Aldi do this caramel / cinnamon type liquor which looks very nice. Probably not the best drink for a diabetic, but what the hell.

 

Go for it. I think you try whatever to stimulate creativity.

 

Drink or drugs have always been a great influence on creative inspiration. Some of my best ideas lately have come about after a couple of drinks.

And where would the Beatles have been without drugs? Nowhere, that's where!

So, yeah. Go for it!

 

No drink, no drugs, no music. I write in as much complete silence as I can get while completely sober. I guess the opposite works for some of you but geez, I just don't see how I could write coherent thoughts or develop clever plot twists if I'm not sober.

Now, I do listen to music and get inspired by it while not actually typing on a keyboard. I've written complete scenes in my head from a single song. All I need to do to recapture the scene or idea is listen to the song again but I can't write while listening to it. The music moves faster than I can type.

 

I used to drink about 3-4 beers while writing. It helped me loosen up and made my internal critic shut up a bit. Lately though, it seems alcohol only demotivates me to write. I have to make sure I am writing, and then walk up to the fridge. If i'm drinking first, for some reason I really like to think and brainstorm about my writing of late, but it doesn't lead up to actual writing. Some drinks and good music really "get my juices flowing", but more in the sense of evaluating problems and plot structure instead of the writing itself. Now that I think of it, it might have to do with what I'm drinking. I used to drink Pilsners exclusively, or otherwise spend 2 hours on a glass of liquor. Lately though, I switched pretty exclusively to Belgian-style, heavier Ales. These hit pretty hard and are easily underestimated, and I've found that the more smooth and subtle the buzz sets in, the better for my creativity. Since these ales can really pack a punch, it might have to do something with my "decrease" of writing while drinking. Have to check out how I do on some regular Pilsners soon I guess

 

I love drinkng a bourbon while I write. Depending on how long the writing session lasts I might have 2-3 more bourbons. I have found, though, that there's a point around 4-5 drinks when it hinders the creative juices more than it helps.

Interestingly enough, I've found caffeine can have the same effect, but maybe that's just because I rarely drink anything with caffeine in it.

 

I often have a couple of glasses of wine while writing. Mostly because I like to drink wine in my free time, and that's the only time I have to write.

 

I think this is an interesting and valid point because it shows this idea all depends on what you write. I can fully appreciate how being inebriated would hinder complex plot development, but if you don't write plots... if it's all character-based and comes from the gut I can see a few drinks helping.

 

I used to drink whilst writing but I didn't like the end results which were a bit flaky and pretentious in the end.
I now prefer complete peace and quiet and get most of my writing done first thing in the morning. I don't drink during the week either, which means most mornings start with a clear head.

 

The idea came across my mind about applying to get into a creative writing program at a university. I would need some classes that I could take at a community but then transfer. But like most creative spaces, you don't need school to be accomplished. Much like music, art, and writing, all you need to do is practice, practice, practice and hone your craft until your good and eventually someone's going to notice. So would a creative writing degree be worth it? To me the idea would mean I'm taking my desire to write from a hobby to being very serious about it. And like most creative spaces; there's money if you're really, really good, otherwise you're struggling relying on a another job to fuel the creative career. Certainly having a degree could change the dynamic of my ability to earn or it could be useless. My writing will improve since I can learn I'll be learning all the technicalities, and better learn structure etc. I've always had a nack for writing, always got A's on my school essays. I really do love to write, it keeps all my over-thinking and swirling thoughts at ease. I decided to start writing as a venting tool but it's evolved into something more.

Tell me your thoughts.

Yours.

 

A good school is not for fools...

 

There's no easy answer here. A creative writing course is good for the people who work well with creative writing courses.

I certainly wouldn't consider it an investment in future income; making money with fiction is a crapshoot whether you've got a writing degree or not. Shifting the odds a bit in your favour doesn't make it a +EV move. Do the course if it sounds interesting and you can afford it. Treat any benefit it might give your writing career as a bonus.

 

I think Creative Writing degrees (esp. MFAs) are valuable if you want to teach creative writing or if you are able to get some sort of grant that allows you to write/study full time for a couple of years.

Otherwise, I think they're probably not any more useful than reading some books, getting some crit, and writing your ass off.

 

Interesting take. I actually do write very character driven stories. Making my characters 'clever' takes a lot of thought. I don't feel as if I'd be as competent if inebriated.

 

Anyone ever tried writing a scene in which a character is drunk while drunk?

 

Meta.

 

I agree with NigeTheHat - depends on the person, unfortunately.

Formal education at the degree level - BFA in your example - may be overkill for somebody who is older and maybe has an existing degree. For somebody younger, just graduating from highschool, who thinks he may become a creative writer, it makes much more sense.

In my situation, I am almost 50 years old, and I have no interest in sitting in a classroom full of 18 year olds in an attempt to beef up my writing skills as part of a four year degree. BUT I do intend to register for a year long writing program that the same university offers.

My thinking is sort of the opposite of atsgtm2018 in one way. I tend to think: "Much like music, art, and writing, practicing isn't enough, because you could be practicing poor quality over and over again, which makes progress very slow, and makes errors harder to unlearn later." I have a feeling that those successful autodidacts were geniuses who beat the odds and represent a million who didn't make it despite all that hard work, because they didn't know what they didn't know. Me, I'm no genius, so I'm going to reach out to subject matter experts.

Engagement of subject matter experts doesn't require a degree, but I do think it's key to developing skills quickly and making efficient use of the practice time.

 

I'm 22/3rd year and I'm at a state school already but for a completely different major. I don't want to continue with this if I feel doing something on a hunch and some passion is worth it. I also do feel learning more about structure and some rules of creative writing could be useful and be beneficial.

 

Does not compute... Does not compute....

 

For someone of my caliber, drinking only takes my warped and twisted mind and makes it worse. (possible slight hindrance, but that is what editing is for)

Besides if it worked for Poe, then why not have a little liver tenderizer while writing?

 

I didn't even finish high school and my dumb ass got published. School is definitely for fools. Drop out now.

Nah, in seriousness, a degree isn't going to make you a better writer. Plenty of people can pass a class and almost none of them will actually make it. It might help you a bit, yeah, but I don't buy into it doing a better job than just plenty of reading and writing independently can. Now, it might help you with networking and getting your foot in the door, so I'm not saying it's a waste of time - but don't expect it to do much good and you won't be disappointed, right?

Writing is going to be a lot of self-teaching and trial and error either way. I really think you could just get some craft books, do some reading online, and get just as much out of that as you would've from taking a class. But, I say that as a happy autodidact, and some folks learn better by actively being taught. Depends on you.