Seeking Inspiration in a Creative Writing Class
Can originality be taught?
I’m currently a university student taking a creative writing class. Each week, me and a handful of aspiring authors sit down and learn about what made some of the best known names, the best known names.
In other words, we try to be taught the tricks they used in order to write their bestselling stories — and by that I mean, learn their methods of being creative.
When we think of our education system today, what we usually picture are piles of books to be read, paragraphs to be highlighted, and hours of lectures to sit through.
The very act of learning has become a sort of chore we must complete before we’re met with the reward of understanding; whether that be a fact, concept or process. Then comes the opportunity to apply that understanding in the real world.
For creativity, however, I can’t help but wonder whether the standard education system is doing much to foster it to its full potential. Or better yet, I keep asking the question: Can it be taught to begin with?
Cambridge Dictionary defines creativity as “the ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas,” and further goes on to use the word in the following sentence:
Too many rules might deaden…
