Malcolm Gladwell – Creative Writing

Malcolm Gladwell is an excellent teacher. I listened diligently to his class the first time, took notes, and worked on my own story. Since then I’ve played his class in the background listening to it repeatedly. Each time I get a little more from the class that I didn’t grasp before. His case studies are great.

A few Highlights or take aways from the class.

• The after taste and hook in the mistake, or the confusion.
• Narratives don’t need perfect solutions, just interesting ones.
• The perfect puzzle is an imperfect one, or one that has no solution.
• How you tell the story, so that you understand how a hard thing, is really hard. (example Ron the Inventor)
• When you tell the thing, is sometimes the most important thing.
• Prose can impart more than just what you say, how you say it, the rhythm of it can make it stronger, or bigger than it seems.
• Selective use of simplicity to describe complex topics, and drama.
  The punch line is the last thing you present.
• Titles are important.
• Creativity is a process we all use, where we assemble all the things we are exposed to through out our life, in new ways. (Plagerism from a different perspective)
• Starting at the end and circling around to the punch line can be very effective (example wedding song)
• Writers ability to understand that other think different than you do, related to a two year old exploring the concept.

— in progress. I’m reviewing this again and writing out my thoughts this time, so this article will expand each time I rewatch it going forward.