From Mayhem to Magic (part one)

Do you ever have one of those moments when the storm clouds part, clarity strikes and for a split second, you are able to join the dots? It happened to me yesterday reading an excellent long form piece by John Kolko on Abductive Reasoning. (http://www.jonkolko.com/writingAbductiveThinking.php)

No, I hadn't heard of it either. Inductive or deductive yes, but abductive no. He defines it as,'... a logical way of considering inference or "best guess" leaps' and described it in the context of a designer synthesising a number of inputs in the quest for a creative solution.

Zap! Multiple dots blurred into a line. I recognised this as exactly what happens in the creative writing process. We jot down a few vaguely connected words and phrases, we start to form ideas which drift into life sentences of not-so-good drafts. Then apparently out of nowhere, new ideas spring into life. The simple act of writing, whether on a keyboard or scrap paper, sets in motion a mysterious force that seemingly by itself generates connected dots.

I've always been fascinated by the creative process. We have this capacity to activate an internal force which is so much more than just iterating the sum of all the reading we did or the digital whiteboards we packed with quotes and visuals from the web.

The key is the pivotal point where we involuntarily let go of the standard 'Look Before You Leap' approach to life and allow incubation and even chance to play a role. But do we have to wait for that to happen to us? If you find these thoughts interesting look out for part two next week which wonders whether 'Leap Before You Look' might be a more productive approach...