For the longest time I have neglected to read anything more than the technical manuals and whitepapers required to advance my career as a Computer Analyst/Programmer. For a longer time, I have felt the desire to write and even though I know it is important for a writer to always be reading, I have neglected that activity too, for what reason I am not entirely sure. There are a lot of classic works of fiction and biography that I have never read or if I did, it was in high school or college and I don't remember much about those works as I didn't see the point of reading them at the time and so didn't create the need and neurological connections to retain the information therein.
You'll note that there are some authors listed for whom I haven't included any works. This is because I'm not ready to start reading them yet and when I am, I'll add a list of works to circumnavigate. These are generally authors who are recommended by other writers.
Going into 2009, I set myself a rather vague goal to read more and the list below is a starting point for this reading effort.
Tonight I finished reading "The Art of Creative Thinking" by John Adair. Mr. Adair summarizes 20 key aspects of creativity, drawing on his own experience and other creative individuals, contemporary and historic. The list of tools Mr. Adair describes provides me with a relatively simple framework for developing my own creativity. If I can remember and apply these principles and make them a part of my life, I believe I will achieve the success at writing that I desire. Below I have listed the main points taken from Mr. Adair's book. This list is basically the table of contents.
- Use the Stepping Stones of Analogy
- Make the Strange Familiar and the Familiar Strange
- Widen Your Span of Relevance
- Practice Serendipity
- Chance Favors Only the Prepared Mind
- Curiosity
- Keep Your Eyes Open
- Listen for Ideas
- Reading to Generate Ideas
- Keep a Notebook
- Test Your Assumptions
- Make Better Use of Your Depth Mind
- Do Not Wait for Inspiration
- Sharpen Your Analytical Skills
- Suspend Judgment
- Learn to Tolerate Ambiguity
- Drift, Wait and Obey
- Sleep on the Problem
- Working it Out
- Think Creatively about Your Life