The Imagination Must Be Fed.

The first principle of “Start Writing” is that the imagination is something like a cat. It really likes to sleep, but it will respond to food and stimulation. So we're putting together a gourmet buffet of images for the imagination to feast on, for starters. And all of these images are carefully chosen for one quality—the ability to inspire writing.

Creativity Requires Constraints.

The second principle of “Start Writing” is that creativity requires constraints. How did Shakespeare express the most powerful of human emotions? He used a fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter with an abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme. Creativity is a form of problem solving. Without a problem to solve, it languishes. We're putting together a selection of writing frames and improvisations to help writing students get past the blank page.