Being Creative According to Isaac Asimov

[James Marinero]

Recently, a previously unpublished essay by Isaac Asimov on Creativity (not Creationism) was discovered during an attic clear-out. Although it relates mainly to scientific creativity, it is an interesting read and suggests that creativity is most abundant in people who work alone (could that be us?). Feeling creative today? Full essay here at MIT.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Still reading it, but I like this quote from Isaac

"My feeling is that as far as creativity is concerned, isolation is required. The creative person is, in any case, continually working at it. His mind is shuffling his information at all times, even when he is not conscious of it. (The famous example of Kekule working out the structure of benzene in his sleep is well-known.)

The presence of others can only inhibit this process, since creation is embarrassing. For every new good idea you have, there are a hundred, ten thousand foolish ones, which you naturally do not care to display."

 

[James Marinero]

I've been researching the patent process and innovation as background, and came across the SIT innovation process - the use of teams in organisations to generate innovative ideas. I believe that some 'authors' do use writing teams to develop plot lines. The hackneyed saying 'a camel is a horse designed by a committee' comes to mind and I'm struggling to reconcile SIT with Asimov's views.
I do work alone, and have some great ideas in the shower (!)

 

[Brian Clegg]

I spent a good few years training people in business creativity - the broad agreement is that the best new ideas come from individuals, but groups are better at refining and enhancing an idea (as long as they understand how to do this), so ideally you need both.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I see he died this day in 1992:

You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist.
- Isaac Asimov...
Russian-born American author and professor of biochemistry

 

[J.A. Waters]

Jumping in (Greetings) but I too feel like being alone is required to create. However, I feel like groups, whether friends or coworkers, are required for ideas. Something something in a vacuum, basically. Also, full agreement with Brian, refinement with others is great if they're on the same pages.

Also, total fan of Mr. Asimov and this was a lovely find.

 

[Diamond]

What Brian said.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Hello, J.A. Waters

 

[Matnov]

In terms of writing fiction then I guess creativity has to be stimulated by absorbing as much as you can from reading the works of others but when it comes to creating your own, then its a solitary pursuit. With the beauty of it being that you can learn as much from those who died hundreds of years ago as those who are living now.

 

[Meerkat]

Until a few weeks ago, I was a technical writer at a corporation. The corporation in question had an open-floor plan, and all of the employees could hear and see each other. The company only had about 30 technical writers, and everyone else (about a thousand employees) developed the software. When I started there, and I found out that I was expected to sit at a desk surrounded by everyone else while still expected to write --!! I quickly had to get an iPod so that I could pretend to be alone.

When I worked as a copy editor at a newspaper, though, I did all of my editing at home, because how dreadful are newspaper offices?

On the other hand, I most wish that I had real-life writer friends with whom I could talk about writing. I think that my writing would improve a hundredfold if I had cohorts.

 

[Marc Joan]

Great article, thanks for posting. I recognise pretty much everything Asimov says. I used to work in a biotech consultancy; we would have brainstorming sessions where we'd congregate around a table and come up with ideas for solving whatever problem the client had. The best sessions were those with fewer than eight people; and the very best sessions were those where the participants had already had the chance to mull things over on their own. For me, a bit of isolation is essential.

 

[Marc Joan]

Until a few weeks ago, I was a technical writer at a corporation. The corporation in question had an open-floor plan, and all of the employees could hear and see each other. When I started there, and I found out that I was expected to sit at a desk surrounded by everyone else while still expected to write --!! I quickly had to get an iPod so that I could pretend to be alone.

On the other hand, I most wish that I had real-life writer friends with whom I could talk about writing. I think that my writing would improve a hundredfold if I had cohorts.

Open-plan offices can be dismal. Dreamed up by humans who simply don't understand how humans work.
Re real-life writer friends, I know exactly how you feel. But that's [partly] what Litopia is for!

 

[Richard Sutton]

Thanks for the post, James -- IA is one of my writing heroes! His words give comfort to me when my butt is sore from sitting in front of the monitor staring at my keyboard. Happens with some frequency...

 

[Frances Gow]

Fascinating article, James - thanks for sharing!

 

[James Marinero]

Thanks for the post, James -- IA is one of my writing heroes! His words give comfort to me when my butt is sore from sitting in front of the monitor staring at my keyboard. Happens with some frequency...

This issue of being creative came back to me this morning. I don't plan a book - I like to let the story develop and lead me. Now I'm getting back to finishing 'Sicilian Channel' after a break and I'm wondering how to bring it to a conclusion. I know I need to get away and clear my mind of the regular c##p associated with daily life so that the ideas can emerge from my subconscious (if indeed there are any there). I hate walking, but I find it does help my creativity.

 

[Meerkat]

I used a book called The Artist's Way (by Julia Cameron) to help me learn to be creative. In the book, Cameron tells the reader to make weekly artist dates. You go by yourself (so that you can pay attention to your artist child) and do something fun and creative purely for enjoyment's sake. The idea is to restock your well of images and experiences, because, as she says and as I can attest to, if you're writing well, then work often dries up because you've depleted the well. I resisted the artist date at first because fun doesn't pay the bills . . . until I finally got creative with it and started doing things like drawing on my driveway with sidewalk chalk.

 

[Jay Aitch]

Ah Richard, there could be a novel in there: "The Frequency of Bottom Numbness"

 

[Marc Joan]

Ah Richard, there could be a novel in there: "The Frequency of Bottom Numbness"

Sequel: The Lowest Common Denumbinator? [full of vulgar fractions]

 

[Richard Sutton]

Hmmm... measuring the cycle rate might be difficult for vibrations occurring at less than 10 Hz... but I'll ask Brian Clegg to weigh in on this.