“The third myth is that people are either creative or they’re not. This myth suggests that creativity, like IQ, is an allegedly fixed trait, like eye color, and that you can’t do much about it. In truth, it’s entirely possible to become more creative in your work and in your life. The first critical step is for you to understand the intimate relationship between creativity and intelligence.” (Ken Robinson Ph.D. and Lou Aronica, The Element)
Dated: January 18, 2025
Writing Exercise: Creativity as a Dynamic Force in Character Development
Techniques Illustrated by the Quotation
1. Dynamic Creativity in Characters: The ability to depict characters who evolve creatively, making unexpected yet believable choices in response to challenges.
2. Character Intelligence and Problem-Solving: Exploring how intelligence manifests in different ways—through emotional intelligence, resourcefulness, or unconventional thinking—and how it shapes actions.
3. Authenticity in Growth: Showing how characters can develop creatively over time, rejecting static or overly deterministic portrayals of personality and capability.
Writing Prompt (500 Words)
Write a scene where your protagonist is faced with a seemingly insurmountable problem that forces them to think in an unconventional or creative way. Their solution should reveal an unexpected aspect of their intelligence or resourcefulness, challenging their (or others’) preconceived notions about who they are. Follow these guidelines:
• Conflict: The problem can be practical (e.g., escaping a physical or logistical dilemma) or interpersonal (e.g., resolving a conflict with limited resources).
• Creativity Under Pressure: The protagonist should come up with a solution that feels surprising but consistent with their personality and background.
• Character Growth: Use the scene to subtly hint at how this moment shifts the protagonist’s perception of themselves or how others see them.
Evaluation Criteria
1. Dynamic Creativity
• Strong Response: The character’s solution is innovative, surprising, and uniquely tied to their personality or circumstances.
• Weak Response: The solution feels clichéd, convenient, or disconnected from the character’s established traits.
2. Intelligence in Action
• Strong Response: The scene reveals a new dimension of the character’s intelligence, whether emotional, social, or practical.
• Weak Response: The character’s actions lack depth or fail to demonstrate any meaningful thought process.
3. Authenticity and Growth
• Strong Response: The scene hints at a believable evolution in the character’s self-awareness or ability to handle challenges.
• Weak Response: The character’s actions feel static or fail to impact their internal or external world in a significant way.
4. Engagement and Stakes
• Strong Response: The scene is engaging, with high stakes that make the protagonist’s solution meaningful.
• Weak Response: The stakes feel trivial, or the resolution lacks emotional or narrative weight.
Follow-Up Questions for Workshop/Revision
1. Does the character’s solution feel both surprising and inevitable given their traits and circumstances?
2. How does the scene reveal the character’s unique form of intelligence or resourcefulness?
3. Is the problem’s resolution impactful, either for the character’s growth or the larger narrative?
4. Are the stakes of the problem clear and compelling enough to sustain reader interest?
Recommended Reading
“The Marquise Went Out at Five” by Italo Calvino
This short story explores creativity and intelligence through the lens of characters responding to an unusual social dilemma. Calvino’s work demonstrates how seemingly small moments of creative problem-solving can reveal deeper aspects of personality and growth.
Example of Strong Response: A character tasked with calming a tense family dinner diffuses the situation by inventing a humorous story, subtly weaving in truths that lead the group to reflect and laugh without realizing they’ve reconciled.
Example of Weak Response: A character resolves a conflict by offering a solution that feels overly convenient (e.g., winning the lottery or receiving sudden outside help), with little connection to their personal creativity or growth.
This exercise challenges writers to deepen their understanding of how creativity and intelligence interplay in character development, emphasizing the transformative potential of small but meaningful actions.
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