A Short Course In Creative Writing
CHAPTER 5
The Triad of Change
The triad is a
technique that can be applied to how we work with creative writing.
This is a model
that enables you to find your ‘easy way’ to write because we don’t all work in the
same way. It will enable you to ascertain your best approach for creative
writing and how to build your books.
Finding an easy way to create stops the
struggle and makes the creative process enjoyable.
There are two ways
to live life:
·
The hard way – where it will always be
painful.
·
The easy way – where effort turns into
progress.
Think of a time
where you have triumphed with writing or any goal in life. Now consider how you
approached this goal and what made you determined. To succeed you must have
used a success strategy – one that worked for you. It was the way in which you
approached the situation that produced a desired outcome. Progress comes from
using the correct strategy.
COMPONENTS
Perception
When we think
about an idea, until we have it clear in our heads, we use perception as a
strategy. Using the car analogy, a person thinks about the destination, the
journey and imagines it all without actually going on the journey or stepping
into the car. The journey is simply an idea.
Perception is a
point of view or an opinion to make change. Those with perception need to
understand why something is important to bring it into reality. To make the
idea real take the perceived story into vision or meditation and holding the
image in your mind imagine it written on paper, that way the outcome you intend
to produce will be effective.
In terms of
writing, this approach is originating the idea in your head and imagining the
whole picture. I would describe this as a series of clouds gathering to
generate a writing storm! Once the storm is built, make the thunder and
lightning manifest in reality. Often the perceptive types get very caught up in
the dream and then the next dream because it is so much fun imagining. The
challenge is for the perceptive sorts to action what they imagine. So they have
to have bursts of writing to get the ideas onto paper. This is why you need to
determine why your project is important to make real.
Structure
When we take the
pieces of what we intend to do and build a framework we are using structure. We
assemble the ‘building blocks’ of what we wish to create and then know our
order and fill out the details. This approach is structural and quite often
appears in lists or flow diagrams. In terms of going on a journey in a car,
this person details every part of the route and lists precisely the turnings
and points of interest before commencing the journey.
Structure contains
supports and organizes the existence of something or gives something existence.
It organises time and space. It can also be a financial plan, a map, a list, a
policy or a fitness regime.
In terms of
creative writing – the author will organise their book and create an order.
They will then fit the story to that order. The best way for this type to write
is daily and with discipline. If they have an allotted time and routine then
they will happily write regularly until they complete their masterpiece. When
their time is structured the writing becomes easy.
Behaviour
Sometimes people
just get on with what they need to do – they just do it. This is the behaviour
strategy. As they work through what they are doing they simply add, adjust or
re-order until it is complete. Once their project is complete they get on with
it and re-order it. It would be the same as climbing in a car and simply driving
without knowing the route or the destination.
Behaviour is action
taken to effect change or create. This may involve physical effort or movement,
involve an energy or an action that takes you into something new. The repeated
behaviour drives you towards your goal.
In terms of
writing, this behaviour is simply about the act of writing. You simply write
and then build the parts you have written into a structure afterwards. These
people aren’t willing to sit around talking or thinking or ordering… they will
just get on with it and finish it and then get on with the next one.
Questions to ask
your writing self:
What comes most
easily to you?
Structure,
behaviour or perception? What technique has resulted in success in the past?
Which style has caused you to miss out? What way do you find easiest to write? If you are thinking about this for a while
you are probably perception based. The behavioural person would have just
started writing or skipped through the chapters and the structure will be
mapping how they best worked previously and probably finding evidence.
·
The truth is when you are in a state of
creativity you connect to something deeper within yourself. You can label this
however you like.
Consider what
society has taught us-to push against that which does not work and to improve
our weakness – why? In my opinion why focus on your weaknesses when you can use
your strength? If you have an easy way to achieve something then use it. There
is far too much energy wasted on that which does not work. Essentially what
does not work does not matter. Also if you feel you are constantly battling
then you will find procrastination increases. The whole point of creative
writing is to enjoy it and not struggle.
THE KICKER: Often
what you think you are good at is sometimes your weakness.
Strengths and How
to Use Them
LEADING WITH BEHAVIOUR
·
Get on and do it
·
Take action now
·
Get right on with it – start working on
a project-no waiting around. Waiting and thinking makes you feel at a loss
·
Jump in – think later – impulsive…
·
Once you have the picture – make the
plan.
For you to feel
better change what you are doing, get started or do an exercise – it will
inspire. Just do something different.
BEHAVIOUR PEOPLE take
immediate action. If something is not working then change what you are doing.
Your motto is ‘Just do it.’ When you need to think or find a new way do
something physical right where you are.
When overwhelmed
with too much to do then make a list and cross off.
Get started on
anything.
Sometimes to feel
alive you just need to do something different – anything.
For progress in
place of pain – stop-ask what is going on and what do you need to ‘do?’
LEADING WITH STRUCTURE:
·
This is the framework.
·
Need to get things in order.
·
Clean and organise.
·
The picture is lost unless the steps are
there.
·
Putting things in order is helpful.
·
Ready, fire, aim. This is how the
structure person works – they need to know how it is built rather than just do
it. They need the elements to build.
·
Plan it – even if the plan changes. The
enjoyment can be in re-arranging the plan.
NOTE: When things
are not going your way, stop and do something that physically changes structure,
like re-arrange something. Touch your toes. Re-organise. Get out of the
building or room. Make a plan to solve something. Take apart an object and
re-arrange it. Change a plan. It can be simple but it has to be located in a
time and space. Make a schedule and slot things into an agenda. How will I
prioritise things to get them done in time?
LEADING WITH PERCEPTION:
The perception
person:
·
Needs a picture – why does this need to
happen?
·
There needs to be a meaning to enable
action to be taken
·
To progress it is best that you
visualise, feel or talk about an objective
·
Perspective guides your actions and
plans
·
Questions – what am I happy about? What
sucks?
·
If I can imagine… then I can make it
real
NOTE: Know what
you want or where you want to be… Visualise it and get it clear in your head.
Know your why and then make it happen. This applies to change too.
THE BIG QUESTIONS:
This triad can be
applied to more than just writing. If you are interested in how to use this
triad to make change then try the following as a writing exercise:
Remind yourself –
what are the four things (in one sentence) that you need to do to change a
situation.
What four things
do you need to bring to your writing to make you feel good?
Attitude and the
way we look at things makes a huge difference in one’s life.
Questions to ask
to help you organise yourself to realise which is easier:
What behaviours
work for me?
What is it that
makes me feel good?
What is it that I
can structure?
What do I like
structuring?
How do I
structure?
What perception
works?
What do I need to
imagine?
How do I imagine
this will feel when I complete this work and what does it look like?
How can I use my
lead strategy?
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