Creative vs. Consumptive Writing

Writing is too broad a term.

There are two distinct activities that involve typing words. One is a creative act that takes a lot of will, focus, clear thinking, and imagination. The other is a consumptive act that requires nothing but a little free-flowing initiative.

I am almost entirely a consumptive writer. These daily blog posts are for me, not for anyone else. They are therapeutic more than any other goal. Every morning, I sit down and write because the act of doing so feels good and gets my day going. I have no creative, productive goal with the content. I’m not trying to teach or motivate an audience.

Sometimes I do creative writing. An article for a third party publication, or a topic I’ve thought about a lot and want to communicate to a specific audience. It’s a whole different beast. I imagine writing books is like that on steroids. All of my books have been after the fact thematic compilations of my writing, rather than big plotted out works of creativity.

I think consumptive writing every day makes creative writing better, but it can also make me a bit lazy. Writing without accountability for the outcomes is easy, and when I switch to creative writing if I’m not careful I can let that easiness slip in.