Voices of Fiction - Can Creativity Be Taught - Part One

Welcome back to Voices of Fiction.

What is creativity? According to the dictionary, one definition is -   the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination.

Can it be taught? Join us over the next few weeks to discover the opinions of a few authors.

Please welcome this week's group.

Reno Charlton works from home as a full-time copywriter, providing clients around the world with content for websites, magazines and other media. She’s also the author of three children’s fantasy novels. Under the pen name, Emily Ho, she’s published two short stories, winning the Curtis Brown Short Story Competition with ‘The Journey Home.’ - Amazon UK, Amazon, Goodreads

Catrina Barton is a licensed Kung Fu Instructor of the Black Dragon style and draws on that experience to make her fight scenes both realistic and action packed. She enjoys being surrounded by the stark beauty of mother nature, such as a moon lit starry sky, or a picnic by a peaceful waterfall cascading from the mountain side. - Amazon, Blog

Karina Kantas is the author of six titles, In Times of Violence, Lawless Justice, Road Rage and Huntress (which is published by MMP.) She's also the author of Stone Cold a YA supernatural thriller and Heads & Tales, a short story collection. Karina originates from the UK but now lives in Greece with her husband and two beautiful daughters. - Amazon, Barnes/Noble, Website

Cherie Reich is a writer, freelance editor, book blogger, and library assistant living in Virginia. - Website, Blog



Welcome Authors! It's wonderful to have you back.

Can creativity be taught?

Reno Charlton: I think that although writing can be taught, creativity is something that you either have or you don’t. Most people have some sort of a creative flair and simply need to channel it in the right direction and hone their skills.

Catrina Barton: Ooh a tough one. Honestly I think it can be learned, but not taught. My opinion is that creativity is either fed or allowed to grow as a child, or killed and has to be painstakingly nourished as an adult.

Karina Kantas: You either have talent or you don't. You can build and grow creativity but not teach it.

Cherie Reich: I believe people can be taught to be better writers, but creativity seems almost more innate. For example, I believe people can learn to write nonfiction fairly well, but I don't know if the same person without having a good imagination to begin with would be able to create a fantasy novel.

Thank you all for joining us today.

Readers feel free to ask questions concerning this topic in the comments. Also feel free to send questions to chergreen@chergreen.com Subject: Voices of Fiction Question, and have them answered by the participating authors in later editions.

There’s also room for more authors to participate. Drop me an email, Subject: Voices of Fiction.

(Disclaimer - Bios and photos submitted by authors.)