tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post4956875546844057834..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Does money damage creativity? - by Nicola MorganUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-31960372821561588652015-10-28T08:11:43.055+00:002015-10-28T08:11:43.055+00:00Katherine, as I said in the post, and as Motivatio...Katherine, as I said in the post, and as Motivation 3.0 explicitly acknowledges, the first needs of money, food and shelter are crucial. The motivation 3.0 theory I'm discussing explicitly applies *after* you have sufficient of everything else to survive. Of course, lack of sufficient money damages creativity, for a whole load of very understandable aspects of psychology, such as preoccupation and scarcity. That's not in doubt and is not denied by the post! Far from it. I do recommend the book.Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07847390687632715336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-49582522968958665912015-10-25T18:43:13.445+00:002015-10-25T18:43:13.445+00:00No. Lack of money damages creativity!No. Lack of money damages creativity!Katherine Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-60231939171231734092015-10-23T11:21:11.445+01:002015-10-23T11:21:11.445+01:00Great post, Nicola, and very thought-provoking! I...Great post, Nicola, and very thought-provoking! I think, however, it depends on the sort of books you write. I write a lot of very short books for Early Readers, and I often find that when my editor emails me out of the blue to say "We need an 80 word story (about anything you like!) in three weeks time" it concentrates the mind wonderfully, and although I'd had no ideas in my head before hand I find my imagination leaps to fill those three weeks, and I always manage to come up with two or three totally new stories. Several of these "instant" stories have subsequently been published, so the short deadline, boundaries and expectations have a good effect, at least on me. But with a longer novel I entirely agree that the more freedom you have to write your own story in your own way, the better.<br />Thank you for such a fascinating post!Lynne Bentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14412874594191347503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-76939658331528301722015-10-23T10:04:58.458+01:002015-10-23T10:04:58.458+01:00Yes! And why I'm struggling to get started on ...Yes! And why I'm struggling to get started on the one I have a much-wanted contract for...Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07847390687632715336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-21751711311586859582015-10-22T16:56:07.230+01:002015-10-22T16:56:07.230+01:00That would explain why the books that I write out ...That would explain why the books that I write out of contract are so much easier to write!CL Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04650291635298634215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-52240711982854496922015-10-22T09:43:32.780+01:002015-10-22T09:43:32.780+01:00'Free expression' - a phrase which, this m...'Free expression' - a phrase which, this morning, has given me a sudden sense of relief and release. Thanks, Nicola. Katherine Langrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529700103932422873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-47352881649459992152015-10-22T08:41:51.812+01:002015-10-22T08:41:51.812+01:00Don't apologise - I'm glad you're so i...Don't apologise - I'm glad you're so interested!<br /><br />Re the money question, yes: the title of the post used money as a shorthand for "extrinsic motivation" but really it's about the whole concept of a commission, including the things you mention.<br /><br />Re creative writing in schools: I couldn't agree more. Although I had an exceptionally traditional education, with all the writing rules/punctuation etc etc, I remember vividly that when we had a writing task, it was almost always simply a word or phrase and the instruction to write about it in any way we wanted. So, the title might be "Fog" and we could write a poem or story or description or absolutely anything at all. So I found that my instinctive response, internally, was to say "how can I do this differently from everyone else." And it's how I came to love writing, because it was free expression.<br />Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07847390687632715336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-80267282039930741862015-10-22T07:51:55.214+01:002015-10-22T07:51:55.214+01:00(apologies for ridiculously long comment above! Yo...(apologies for ridiculously long comment above! Your blog obviously fired my brain up past my ability to either edit myself or to know when to shut up, first thing this morning...)Lari Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13290918954317744377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-28362259695378229982015-10-22T07:18:05.885+01:002015-10-22T07:18:05.885+01:00Fascinating blog post, about a book I must read......Fascinating blog post, about a book I must read... I wonder if the question could be framed differently however. Not does money damage creativity, but do rules, boundaries and expectations damage creativity? A commissioned work of art (eg a novel with a contract, an editor and a deadline) has already been defined. It may have a title, a first line, a synopsis. A lot of possibilities have therefore already been closed down. However, a novel that a writer is writing on spec only has the writer’s hopes and vision, so it has the potential to go in any direction at all. I’ve written novels that I’ve already discussed with editors, and I’ve written novels that no one knew I was writing until I finished. I think, honestly, that the latter books are my best work. (Not by much though. I’m entirely happy with the commissioned ones as well!) I also think the non-commissioned books are possibly a bit weirder... Having said that, I’ve ground to a painful halt writing a couple of ‘on spec’ books because I couldn’t see a way forward, and also, possibly, because I hadn’t promised them to anyone. I’ve never done that with a book an editor was already expecting... Your blog raises so many fascinating thoughts! For example, I think school children don’t get the chance often enough to write with no rules or boundaries or expectations at all. Whenever I’m involved in setting creative writing tasks for kids, I try to dissuade the teachers etc from saying – your story must be about this theme, or start with this line... I like to give kids the rare chance to write whatever they like, with no rules at all. (Though I know some children and writers find that freedom scary!) I believe we all need the chance to create without any boundaries or expectations at all. Sometimes. Lari Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13290918954317744377noreply@blogger.com