A New Kind of Thinking (for writers)

I admit this next post will date me a little, but I grew up in a school system that was big on "New Math." For those who are not familiar, New Math was simply teaching certain mathematical principles in new and different ways, often to the confusion of second-graders like myself. Before this, everyone was familiar with the numbers 0-9, and how they were arranged in columns for the ones, tens, hundreds, etc., then they learned how to do all the mathematical operations. New Math, however, explained this numberical concept as "Base 10" - there were ten numbers to choose from and build off of - and then taught us Base 8, and even Base 16 where the additional six numbers were A, B, C, D, E, and F. Now, a simple problem such as 7+7 changed around depending on the base. In Base 10, the answer is 14, in Base 8 it's 16, and in Base 16 it's E. Yes, E. In short, second grade was confusing for me.

What this mathematical madness did, however, was teach us how to think outside the standards we assumed. Base 10 is a given that we just take for granted, so realizing there are other ways gives us new perspective. (As an aside, Base 16 connected to the foundation of computer processing, which was a burgeoning field at the time, so best to teach it early.) Anyway, this New Math didn't change how I did my mathematics and I stayed in Base 10 for balancing my checkbook and other manual operations we performed with numbers back in the 20th century. I didn't count my change in Base 16 or anything, but I knew when it could be applied and I knew D2 was larger than 8F.

When it comes to the creative mind, we have to flex our creativity by exercising it in different ways. This usually means blowing away some preconceived notion and seeing what the world looks like. This isn't the easiest thing to do because a lot of assumptions are so predefined we don't even realize they're there. If I were to suggest you write about your favorite food dish at Thanksgiving dinner, you would likely offer up a bit about the big, juicy turkey, a wide variety of pies (including pecan), a savory side dish, or maybe even a special holiday relish. 

All of these are fine things to write about, but it limits us creatively because the moment I said "food" is the moment you went toward the concept of how the dishes taste. The taste is the preconceived notion we can remove to really do some creative flexing. If the assignment becomes, "Write about your favorite food dish without using references to taste or smell," this forces you to examine the other sensory inputs underlying that meal. Maybe the aforementioned pecan pie now becomes enjoyable with the blending of crispy baked walnuts within the gooey filling and a crumbly crust. Maybe you go back to the hot, moist turkey breast, or the creaminess of the rutabaga pudding (I can DM you a recipe). Whatever the case is, you now think about something common through an uncommon lens. You get that creative flex.

This doesn't mean that writing always has to be about something other than the obvious. A forest can have its greenery, the sky can be blue, etc. However, when you really want to understand something on a deeper level, you need to see past the obvious and try to explore those aspects. If you write about painting your living room, make references to the crackling sound of the roller on the wall, the tacky feel of paint on your fingers, and I challenge you to find a way to describe the smell of housepaint. The color is incidental - the real challenge is making the paint tangible as something more than a can of blue stuff.