Creative Process

What I learned about the creative process...

Working on this project showed how messy and non-linear the creative process can be, even when there’s a clear plan going in. One idea from CPSA250 that really connected to this project was Graham Wallas’s four-step model of creativity, preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. The preparation stage included researching athlete mental health and starting early drafts of the story. After that, a lot of the progress actually came during incubation, or time away from writing, when ideas had space to develop in the background. That’s often when moments of illumination happened, like figuring out how a scene should feel or how to better show the main character’s mindset. The final stage, verification, came through editing and revising, especially after getting feedback from peers and instructors.

Time management strategies from class also played a big role. Breaking the story into smaller sections and setting deadlines made the project feel more manageable and helped avoid burnout, which is interesting since burnout is also a theme in the story itself.

Overall, this project made it clear that creativity isn’t just about inspiration, it also depends on structure, revision, and being willing to step away and come back with a new perspective.