March 9, 2024
Fostering creativity through foreign tales, stress-free framing, and family fun
Greetings!
So good to have you back for another dose of reading, writing, and randomness. To spark your creative spirit, consider this:
Quote of the Week:
"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."
– Maya Angelou
Some Short Readings Overflowing with Creativity:
Beyond the Curve by Kobo Abe. In my high school years, I attempted to read every literary “classic” and acclaimed author my high school library offered. As much as I enjoyed American legends like Steinbeck and Hemingway, I found myself most drawn to foreign voices like Chinua Achebe and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, writers who offered exotic perspectives of unfamiliar cultures and places. I especially loved Japanese authors, and Kobo Abe soon became my favorite.
While Abe is best known for his novels, I was enthralled most by his short stories, and this collection contains many of his finest. With topics ranging from crime (“The Bet”) to space travel (“The Special Envoy”) to the dangers of democracy (“Intruders”), these brief tales display Abe’s impressive range and inimitable depth.
A Creative Writing Hack:
“Two Crappy Pages.” Writing is an intimidating endeavor for most people, and very often we don’t do ourselves any favors by setting high standards (we are our own harshest critics, after all). While it is important to establish a writing habit if you want to generate thousands of meaningful words, there’s no reason you can’t do so in small, low-pressure chunks.
Instead of beating myself up for missing my daily target of X pages or words, I tried this approach and found not only less pressure and anxiety about writing every day, but more enjoyment and surprise at what I produced. Give it a shot and let me know what you think! (Credit to Tim Ferriss for the concept.)
Creative Ways Have More Random Family Fun:
The Adventure Challenge: Family Edition. Whenever our kids get a little stir-crazy (or slump-on-the-couch bored), we like to liven things up by cracking open this bad boy. This book is filled with mystery activities that can fit any timeframe, budget, or predilection. Do you have spare time and money to plan a half-day excursion for a crew that likes to get messy outdoors? Or do you suddenly need to entertain your brood for 30 minutes at home, but you’re strapped for cash?
Using the creative titles and hints for each activity, you can scratch off any promising-looking options to reveal the instructions. The only rules? You have to do whatever you scratch off, and you must have fun (Ok — we’re pretty flexible about the former, but the latter is non-negotiable)!
And that's it! Did you like what you saw? Please share Lau’s Little List with anyone who you think would enjoy an extra dose of reading, writing, and randomness in their lives!
I would greatly appreciate any feedback you'd like to provide. Which recommendation was your favorite? What would you like to see more or less of in the next installment? Do you have any other suggestions? Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts.
May you explore newer depths and greater heights this week!
I love that quote from Maya Angelou--I'd never even heard it before, but I've experienced the truth of it more times than I can count. Thanks for the introduction to it, Matt!