The Creative Process | Teen Ink

The Creative Process

January 6, 2012
By austenite77 GOLD, Appleton, Wisconsin
austenite77 GOLD, Appleton, Wisconsin
13 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
Die my dear? Why that's the last thing I'll do


"You're doing it all wrong." She points out frankly.

"What would you know? I'm in charge anyway." I say, but find myself scribbling out the last paragraph of my notebook. I sigh. "How would you have me do it?"

She grins through her curtain of long black hair. "The hero should never die."

I scoff at her. "Some of the greatest stories ever have a dying hero, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet…" I trail off, unable to think of any besides Shakespeare tragedies.

"I'm not like them." She states.

"Oh? You're not? My mistake," I laugh. "This whole story is a tragedy. Tragedies don't end with happily ever afters."

"Why can't they?"

"Because they're not tragic then."

"Then I refuse to be part of your tragedy."

"Oh, you just don't want to die. You're not even real." I slam my notebook shut and she vanishes. I need something new, I think, something way out of my comfort zone.

"Hello?" And there he is, tall, very handsome, and lonely. The best part, not female. I'm so sick of female characters. They get so whiny and difficult.

"Hi, you're Karl Undermin, right?"

He sighs. "If you say so." Now I can't get over how handsome he is. I'm always afraid of pretty characters. With girls they'll be either too vain or too oblivious of their beauty. I either way I end up wanting to strangle them.

"What am I going to do with you?" I ask, mostly myself, although I know he hears me. Suddenly I'm afraid that he's too perfect. I hate the "do no wrong characters too". I feel the urge to make him rich and arrogant, but that would be too easy and clichéd.

"There's not much, anyone can do. I have to be dying to make a story out of me." He shrugs.

"Ugh," I groan. "I'm sick of sad tragedies. Death, crying, mourning, I've done too much. I need a happy story."

"Then there's not much use for me."

I stare at his face, in a few moments he's grown on me. He's humble, charismatic, I could even make him charming. He still needs a flaw. Frustrated, I groan. "Just give me a minute, I find you when I'm ready."

He's about to leave, when it hits. As, if a light bulb actually appeared above my head a bolt up. "I've got it."

"What?" He seems eager to know who he is.

"It's better if you don't know yet." I fly through my notebook to an empty page and scribble down as much as I can as fast as I can, bringing to life Karl Undermin."


The author's comments:
These are actual characters of mine. I thought it would be fun to actually think about my creative process. Once I create a character, they pretty much control the story.

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This article has 5 comments.


on Mar. 26 2013 at 10:39 am
GuardianoftheStars GOLD, Shongaloo, Louisiana
17 articles 0 photos 495 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Let's tell young people the best books are yet to be written; the best painting, the best government, the best of everything is yet to be done by them."
-John Erslcine

That was so good! ANd only a writer could understand this brilliant peice.  I loved it. It was truely good! I give it 5 stars easily! :D

on Mar. 16 2013 at 7:07 pm
thatbloggingDirectionergirl BRONZE, Memphis, Tennessee
3 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
“What I want is to be needed. What I need is to be indispensable to somebody. Who I need is somebody that will eat up all my free time, my ego, my attention. Somebody addicted to me. A mutual addiction.” —Chuck Palahniuk

The concept and execution are absolutely flawless. I'm jealous, lol. But this actually mirrors how i think about my characters as well. Great job!

on Feb. 16 2012 at 7:54 pm
Helena_Noel BRONZE, Burnt Hills, New York
1 article 0 photos 629 comments

Favorite Quote:
“I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way: The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear, fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear.” -Edgar Guest

Wow, this reminds me a little of my own creative prosses (of course, mine isn't exactlly like this). It is a wonderful and interesting view in the mind of the another writer. Great job, makes me wanna try harder to be creative on my own work. Keep writing!

on Jan. 30 2012 at 9:31 pm
projectwarbird SILVER, Cordova, Tennessee
5 articles 0 photos 30 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Aristophanes once wrote, roughly translated; 'Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness sobered, but STUPID lasts forever.'" ~William Hundert

This is incredible! I love the look that you provide behind the mind of a writer! I can't count the times I've talked to my characters inside my head or sometimes even out loud. The dialogue kept me glued and I love the characters. :)

on Jan. 22 2012 at 10:55 pm
Timekeeper DIAMOND, Cary, North Carolina
62 articles 0 photos 569 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A guy walks up to me and asks 'What's Punk?'. So I kick over a garbage can and say 'That's punk!'. So he kicks over a garbage can and says 'That's Punk'?, and I say 'No that's trendy'!"- Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day

I wish TeenInk didn't wreak havoc on your formatting! I really enjoyed the dialogue, it felt natural and realistic. It really seemed like I was able to listen to this conversation between two real people, but then the entire concept is turned on its head as a conversation between a creator and their work.