Understanding how the creative process works helps students. They expect their story to be written in one sitting and that's not how it works!

The creative process has three steps.

1. First you must feed the muse by reading and living. You can't write about nothing. (This is often the cause of writer's block!)

2. The second step is thinking. Quiet gives your intuition time to mull things over. That leads to new ideas.

3. You write your ideas down and organize them. Then you use your voice as you choose words for your sentences. As you finish, you check your spelling and punctuation. (That's the six traits of writing in action!)

The creative process can be seen in the life cycle of a butterfly.

The caterpillar eats and eats. (Writers read.)

The caterpillar eats until he can eat no more and then he wraps himself up in a chrysalis to sleep. During the quiet of sleep, the caterpillar is transformed. (Writers think.)

When the transfomation is complete, the chrysalis opens and a butterfly emerges. It waits for its wings to dry...and then it flies! (Writers write!)