I didn’t expect to finish another book so quickly, but then I remember that I did start this book by in 2025.
I just finished listening to Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. I listened to the audio book on Libby, I believe it was narrated by Elizabeth herself which was really cool.
This book gave me a different perspective on the notion of writing. Elizabeth talks a lot about how Creativity and Ideas and Inspiration, all of it as an entity. Something that comes and finds you, and how you get to decide how you treat it. If you want it to stick with you are to move on to the next person. How every idea out there is already alive, they just need someone to speak through.
Elizabeth talks about how we are basically just the media that these things are using to share themselves. I loved the idea that these entities are alive, and it is up to us to keep them going. How if we don’t treat them well, they will move on, and we will lose them.
She also talks about the different ways people might kill their works. When people are stuck thinking about their creativity, and their pieces of art as just that. Art. Instead of the living thing it is, they will tend to get stuck, and the motivation may die out. How if you don’t work with art, as business partners, you are likely going to run out of steam because you are doing everything yourself.
This whole book was really inspiring in itself. It gave me a lot to think about, and I am stilling thinking about it now, even though I have finished the book. I plan to buy a physical copy one day so I can read it again. I am going to do better and think about how my stories found me and chose me to be their vessel. I will never think about my works as just mine anymore, but as ours because they have traveled far and wide to find me, and they used the world to become what they are.
What do you think about this theory? How do you think about your own writing? Do you know any other educational creative writing books? I hope you enjoyed my review and that you give this Big Magic a try. You won’t regret it. Have a lovely day! Happy Readings!