Last week I wrote about my current fiction project, Blizzard; this week I’m so, super excited to announce my current nonfiction project, The Creativity Perspective!
The website has been live for about two weeks and six posts so far. It has a complete menu of pages describing the project, and a logo I just love:
What Is The Creativity Perspective?
In brief (since you can head over to The Creativity Perspective right now, or at the end of this post, and see it all for yourself) I’m embarking on a project that will educate both myself and my readers about creativity. Specifically, I believe that creativity is universally accessible, teachable, grow-able, and vital to everyday life; these beliefs are the jumping-off point for the project.
The website will become a guide to increasing your creative capacity at work, at home, and in your personal growth. Though currently the project consists of a blog and a regular newsletter, I intend to branch out into lesson plans, tip sheets, and interviews. Eventually, I intend for The Creativity Perspective to become a book, an online course, and even a podcast. I’m so happy to share its beginnings with Words From The Sowul readers, because I feel confident in its growth spiral.
Fiction or Nonfiction?
At the beginning of this year, I went through a crisis of heart, wondering whether I was a fiction or non-fiction writer at heart. I struggled with this for quite awhile, even blogging about it in a humorous way to try to resolve the issue. But ultimately, I realized that I don’t want to choose. Not only am I happier writing both fiction and non-fiction, I believe that I am a more productive writer in both genres because I split my time between them.
I know that sounds counter-intuitive. Wouldn’t I finish my novel Blizzard twice as fast if I wasn’t spending half my writing time on The Creativity Perspective? Isn’t this just splitting my focus? That may be true for some writers, and it’s generally advice I would give to other writers. But for me, it just doesn’t work. I get bored when I only work on one thing at a time. My brain craves intellectual variety. I’m stimulated in different ways by different projects, and each one gives me energy and enthusiasm for the other. Ultimately, it just makes me happy, and even if I’m sometimes scared I can’t meet my own deadlines, I trust in my own productivity and self-knowledge to get me through.
Call to Action!
I’d love to hear from other writers who either feel as I do about splitting time between projects, or who devote themselves entirely to one thing. Why or why not? I’m fascinated to hear your answers.
I’d also like to ask one favor of you: if you do visit The Creativity Perspective (and I hope you do! And come back again!) please leave a comment here or there to let me know what you think. (Or send an email: leannesowul(at)gmail(dot)com.) It’s going to take awhile for me to build up an audience at the CP, and it would help me so much if my Words From The Sowul audience could give me feedback in the meantime. I’d love to know anything, from content to technical issues with the website, that you have an opinion on.
Joanna Penn splits her work into both, and has two distinct audiences as a result (very little overlap of people interested in reading both). I heard her say in a podcast she’s stuck giving only 50 percent to each, but it’s working well nonetheless and, most importantly, she loves both. Like you do. I hope this turns out to be a fruitful venture and you find the right people for both kinds of writing while honoring your love of both.
Thanks, Ann! I really admire Joanna Penn, so if she can do it, I feel like it’s a legitimate path.
I don’t really see it as giving only 50% of myself to each, though. That may be true from a time-management perspective, but from a creative-energy perspective, I think one type of work feeds on the other.
I don’t know how you can split yourself psychologically between both writing projects – and I admire you for that, so please take it as a compliment. I’m definitely more of a “one project at a time” writer. Not only do real-life time restrictions make it difficult to focus on multiple projects, but I don’t have the headspace for it, either. That being said, I’m looking forward to the beta-reader phase of my WIP – because then I’ll finally have time to start writing something new!
Best of luck with your new endeavor, Leanne! You know I’ve already checked out the site already. 😉
Thanks as always, Sara, for being a friend, a fan and an inspiration 🙂
I guess I don’t know how to NOT split myself; I find it boring to only focus on one thing. (Writing ADHD?) But I do have to be careful not to overextend. At some points I’ve tried working on three things at once, and it’s just too much. Two main projects is perfect for me, with a sprinkling of blog posts and other articles to mix things up occasionally.