Writing Wednesday: Filling the Creative Well

On Friday, my daughter and I went to see the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, on tour in Boston last month. If you've never heard of the show, google it. The storyline is fun, the music is fresh, and the touring cast was out of this world! My theatre-geek daughter was so excited about it all that she was vibrating in her seat. Best. Birthday. Ever.

And what did I get out of it, besides a fun night on the town with my newly minted 15-year-old? As a writer, I find it's important to take in as many creative experiences as possible, Musicals, plays, art exhibits, museum tours... all these activities fill the creative well. Going to a fabulous musical is a great kick in the pants to get new ideas flowing and new words bouncing around in my brain. As Lola says on stage, "We give good epiphany."


But... every day is not a birthday, and I can't afford orchestra seats all the time. I also look at traditionally "non-creative" events as learning experiences. A walk in the beach, baking a chocolate cake, planting flowers in the yard, watching my son play soccer, or driving a carload of kids to school... Okay, maybe it's more work to make an everyday experience into meaningful creative fodder. But think like a writer, and observe the natural world around you, how things look, smell, and feel. How people's faces move when they talk, how different athletes run on the field and how it all changes depending on the score.

What do you do to kick-start your creative juices? Does a walk in the woods rev you up, or do you need a full-blown Broadway style musical? Tell me your favorite way to "fill the well."

And if you get a chance, go see Kinky Boots. It's so totally worth it!