Creativity is crucial to our writing process. But there is more than one kind of creativity–and more than one kind of creative writer. Take the quiz for clues to your own creative imagination.
What's Your Creative Writer Type?
How do you conduct your research?
1. The library is my best friend.
2. I hit the road.
3. I talk to as many experts as I can.
4. I do what research I really need to do as I write the story.
5. I do a deep dive into the time and place of the story and see where that takes me.
6. I stock my bookcase with reference books so they’re close at hand
What do you do before you begin the actual writing?
1. Produce a spreadsheet outlining the story beat by beat.
2. Fire up Scrivener.
3. Make a quick list of the big scenes and dive in.
4. Write.
5. Create a vision board filled with images of settings, characters, plot points, etc.
6. Jot scene ideas on post-its and post them around your home office.
What music do you listen to while you write?
1. I prefer silence.
2. Rock and roll
3. Classical
4. Country
5. I create a unique playlist for each book.
6. The familiar sounds of home and hearth
Which work environment would best suit you?
1. The library
2. A good hotel room in a strange city
3. An artist colony, equal parts solitude and camaraderie
4. A cabin in the woods—no people, no WIFI, no interruptions
5. A coffee shop in the locale where my story takes place
6. My home office, door closed and phone off
Who keeps you company while you write?
1. My books
2. Room service
3. My fellow writers
4. My dog
5. My characters
6. My cat
When you get stuck, what do you do?
1. Write through it, even if it’s crap
2. Hit the gym.
3. Brainstorm with my fave beta reader.
4. Take a walk.
5. Do more research.
6. Binge watch Netflix.
You finished your first draft, so how do you celebrate?
1. Start revising immediately.
2. Pop a bottle of champagne.
3. Buy my writing pals the first round at the nearest bar.
4. Put it away for at least a week and go hiking/fishing/kayaking.
5. Line up a developmental editor.
6. Clean my study.
You’ve sold your book. What are your book launch plans?
1. Charity event at the library
2. Wine and cheese reception at my club
3. Big book birthday party—with a band!—at my richest friend’s house
4. Signing at my local independent bookstore
5. “An Evening with Moi” at my local arts center
6. A blog tour will do just fine, thanks
Your editor says your WIP needs serious revision. What’s your response?
1. Rewrite everything as instructed, no questions asked.
2. Call my agent.
3. Get drunk with all my writer friends.
4. Write a point-by-point rebuttal and send it off.
5. Brainstorm better ways to fix the problems my editor has identified.
6. Read all the one-star Amazon reviews of my favorite writer’s books.
Which of the following most influences your writerly themes?
1. Literature
2. Pop Culture
3. Community
4. Nature
5. Spirituality
6. Family
