Creativity theory and the writing process : a telelogical model

Abstract

A synthesis of theories of the creative process suggests that creating takes place in recursive stages, demands varied modes of cognitive functioning, and requires the commitment to produce effective innovation. Of these three characteristics, the creator's commitment ot innovate is fundamental, determining whether the others will be present. Writing may be considered a creative process, because its end is a novel and useful product, and because it belongs to a larger category of creative structuring. Applying the characteristics of the creative process to writing yields a number of insights: the importance of both sequences and flexibility in the writing process; the crucial role of involuntary, nonlogical ways of knowing; and the importance of investing physical, intellectual, and social dimensions of self in the writing task. In light of the personality theory of Alfred Adler and the rhetorical theory of Kenneth Burke, investment of the social self emerges as a telling ingredient in the writing process. This teleological model of writing suggests, for teachers, that collaborative learning techniques may be ideally suited to engaging students' social selves in writing, and communicative writing may be an effective way to engage the social self and to acquire the repertoire of structures writers need if they are to use a flexible, efficient sequence of steps and a full range of thought processes. The model suggests, further, that researchers should use varied approaches to observing writing and should seek ways to observe and elicit investment in writing.