“To Jake, the word that comprised the relationship between a writer and their spark was “responsibility.” Once you were in possession of an actual idea, you owed it a debt for having chosen you, and not some other writer, and you paid that debt by getting down to work, not just as a journeyman fabricator of sentences but as an unshrinking artist ready to make painful, time-consuming, even self-flagellating mistakes.” (Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Plot)

The Writer’s Responsibility: From Spark to Story

A Character Development Writing Exercise

Core Techniques Explored

1. Emotional Investment in Ideas: Understanding how writers form deep, personal connections with their creative sparks and the responsibility this connection entails
2. Artistic Courage: Developing the willingness to make “painful, time-consuming” creative choices that serve the story’s truth rather than taking easier paths
3. Craft vs. Artistry Balance: Learning to move beyond basic sentence construction (“journeyman fabricator”) to embrace fuller artistic vision

Writing Prompt (500 words)

Create a scene that explores a character’s moment of creative responsibility—when they must choose between taking an easier path or honoring a difficult truth. This could be any type of creator: a writer, painter, musician, architect, etc. The scene should include:

• The initial creative spark or revelation
• The character’s recognition of two possible paths forward
• The internal struggle between expedience and artistic integrity
• Physical details that externalize the character’s emotional state
• A decision point that reveals character through creative choice

Your scene should emphasize the weight of creative responsibility and show (don’t tell) how this responsibility manifests in both internal and external ways.

Evaluation Criteria

Strong Responses Will:

• Create palpable tension between easier and harder creative choices
• Use specific sensory details to make the creative process tangible
• Show the character’s relationship with their art evolving through the scene
• Maintain focus on the internal struggle while keeping external action clear
• End with a decision that feels both surprising and inevitable

Weaker Responses Tend To:

• Rely on abstract descriptions of creativity or inspiration
• Tell readers about the character’s feelings rather than showing them
• Rush to resolution without fully exploring the conflict
• Include unnecessary backstory or tangential details
• Portray the choice as simple or straightforward

Workshop Questions

1. Where does the physical description most effectively mirror the character’s internal state? Where could this connection be strengthened?
2. What moments of “self-flagellation” does your character experience? Are they earned or melodramatic?
3. How does your character’s initial relationship with their creative spark differ from their relationship at the end?
4. What specific details help readers understand the weight of responsibility your character feels?
5. Where might you push the character to make even more difficult choices?

Revision Focus Areas

• Identify places where you can replace abstract language with concrete detail
• Look for opportunities to complicate the character’s relationship with their art
• Ensure every detail serves the core conflict between easy and difficult choices
• Consider adding moments of physical action that externalize internal struggles
• Review the pacing to ensure proper build-up to the decision point

Model Text

Read Alice Munro’s “Material” from the collection Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You. Pay particular attention to how she portrays the relationship between a writer and his creative raw material, especially in terms of responsibility to real people and events that inspire fiction.

Alternative Approaches

Consider writing the scene from the perspective of:

• The abandoned “easier” idea
• A witness to the creator’s struggle
• The finished work itself, looking back on its creation
• Multiple time periods, showing the consequences of the creative choice

Remember: The goal isn’t to write a meditation on creativity, but to dramatize the specific moment when a creator must choose between honoring or betraying their artistic responsibility.

Regards,

RAR