PRINTAround the block
CoMo's writers turn to these books when their creativity runs dry
Courtesy of Mariner Books
May 20, 2009 | 12:00 p.m. CST
Writer’s block. It comes for even the most accomplished authors. When the creative tank is running on empty, one of the most useful places to fill it up is in another book. Vox gets recommendations from four Columbia writers for books to read when the creative juices aren’t so juicy.
Soaring with Fidel
David Gessner
When Dave Collins is stuck, he likes to read the writing he wants to write: creative nonfiction. His current favorite, Soaring with Fidel by David Gessner, is a memoir detailing Gessner’s travels as he follows the migration of the osprey from Maine to Venezuela. On the surface, the book is about the migration of the birds, but Collins says it really explores Gessner’s own migration from his home in Maine. “It’s this idea of migration and changing place and becoming at home in that new place,” Collins says. “Gessner is one of my favorite reads for a combination of self, place and discovery.”
The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia
J.R.R. Tolkien/C.S. Lewis
Lori Galaske, a poet and short story writer, submerges herself in the works of the most creative authors she knows: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. She is fascinated by their creative genius. “They take nothing and create these new people and languages,” Galaske says, which is what she is trying to do in the novel she is working on. Reading Tolkien’s and Lewis’ works of imagination fuels her own and motivates her to be more creative.
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
Julia Cameron
Cameron’s plan for rediscovering your own creativity has served as Red Bull for two of Columbia’s own published writers. Poet Marta Ferguson believes in Cameron’s writing so much that she is running her own workshop based on the book starting May 26. Jim Muench, author of Five Stars: Missouri’s Most Famous Generals, knows it’s corny but says this book helped him connect with his inner artist. Cameron’s program includes encouraging artists to make time for their art and other tips for staying creatively fit, Ferguson says.
Language in Thought and Action
S.I. Hayakawa
Muench says Hayakawa’s concepts of language and how we use it are always in the back of his mind when he writes, especially the idea of the ladder of abstraction. “When you’re trying to communicate ideas with people you can’t stay on an abstract level, or else they won’t get it,” Muench says. “You have to get specific and talk about something real and concrete.” Since he read about the ladder of abstraction, Muench can’t shake it from his mind or his work.
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