Creativity is a term that has different implications in different realms of production. In fiction writing, for example, creativity is celebrated whereas creativity in writing such as journalism conjures up images of ‘making things up’, which contradicts one of the fundamental tenets of journalism.   Journalism is seen as a highly interactive practice and a form of writing with strict rules that govern how a journalist writes; fiction writing is seemingly a solitary activity that is free from boundaries. Journalism is reporting on factual events; fiction writing comes from the imagination of the writer.   This presentation is reporting on two research projects that examined the creative process of fiction writers and print journalists. Elizabeth Paton examined fiction writers and Janet Fulton examined journalists and a comparison of results from research projects showed that while there are differences there are many similarities in these two different forms of writing.

1. Creating stories
A comparative analysis of the creative process of
fiction writers and journalists in Australia
Dr Janet Fulton
School of Design, Communication and IT
University of Newcastle
Dr Elizabeth Paton
School of Media, Film and Journalism
Monash University
July 9, 2014

2. Introduction
Creativity is a term that has different implications in
different realms of production
• Fiction writing: creativity is celebrated
• Journalism: creativity conjures up the idea of ‘making
things up’
Elizabeth Paton – Creativity and the dynamic system of
Australian fiction writing
Janet Fulton – Making the news: print journalism and the
creative process
July 9, 2014
A presentation to ANZCA 2014
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3. Introduction - methodology
July 9, 2014
A presentation to ANZCA 2014
Technique Fiction writing Journalism
Semi-structured
interviews
Fiction writers, editors,
agents and other writing
industry professionals
Journalists, editors and
other managerial
workers, subeditors,
cadets
Observation Writer festivals (including
‘green room’), readings,
lectures, workshops
3 x newsrooms
Document and artifact
analysis
Secondary interview
material, websites, process
journals, draft manuscripts
Secondary interview
material, books,
presentations, interviews
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4. Introduction
Fiction writing and journalism are creative systems in
action.
Structure of presentation:
• Motivation
• The business of writing
• Freedom and constraints
• Writing as a social activity
• Are both domains creative?
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5. Systems model of creativity
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Systems model of creativity developed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2003, p. 315)

6. Creativity - definition
“… a productive activity whereby objects, processes and
ideas are generated from antecedent conditions through the
agency of someone, whose knowledge to do so comes from
somewhere and the resultant novel variation is seen as a
valued addition to the store of knowledge in at least one
social setting” (McIntyre, 2008, p.1).
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A presentation to ANZCA 2014
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7. Motivation
Fiction writers: “The success of the books – going to #1
regularly, winning a fan base, impressing overseas publishers,
earning new and more valuable contracts - is highly motivating
for me. I find it very rewarding to use my imagination to touch
other people’s lives. There’s nothing so satisfying as receiving
the regular emails from readers to tell me they haven’t done any
housekeeping, they haven’t fed the family, they haven’t been able
to sleep for reading my stories” (W18, 2006).
Journalists: “passionate about writing,” “really enjoy writing,”
“it’s fun,” “it’s exciting,” “I love doing it,” and “I love the
challenge.”
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A presentation to ANZCA 2014
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8. Motivation – flow• Fiction writer: “It’s like riding a whirlpool, riding or surfing. I’ve never
come across similar sensations you get in the physical world with greater
buzz than the flow of a book. The book just takes you. In Welsh, there’s a
thing called ‘hwil’, H.W.I.L. It’s exaltation when a preacher starts talking
and gradually this sermon takes him over and he delivers a beautiful
complex, high-flown, lengthy sort of sermon; it’s kind of like that” (W10,
2006).
• Journalist: It [writing] is hard but yes I do [love it]. I think everyone does
this when they’re creating, in a creative mode, you struggle up this slope of
research and preparation and planning and you start writing and you’re still
climbing. And you reach a plateau where you’re in a different world and time
is stretched and compressed, but it’s hard. It’s not pleasant being up there all
the time because you’re fighting chaos; you’re trying to bring this order and
it’s very difficult. And you finish it and come down off the plateau and three
weeks later I read the published article and I think, ‘God, did I write that!
That’s amazing! How did I write that?’ (J15, 2008)
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A presentation to ANZCA 2014
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9. Business of writing
Fiction writers:
• “I write every day, all day if I can, just like going to work.
And sometimes in the evenings and weekends too” (W14,
2006).
• “I view myself as self employed in the creative business
of ideas – 50 hours per week” (W05, 2006).
• “I suppose I’m a bit more business-like, it feels more like
work, which is not to say it’s not pleasurable! I’m more
aware of trying to write a certain number of words per
day just to shove myself along and make sure I’m
productive” (W04, 2006).
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A presentation to ANZCA 2014
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10. Freedom and constraints
“While it can be shown that journalists work within a myriad of
structures, it cannot be said that a journalist has no opportunity to
make choices within those structures, that is, a journalist has agency
… These requirements and structures not only constrain a journalist but
are vital in helping them to be more productive in their creative
process”
(Fulton, 2011).
“As these contexts in which writers work are necessary for creativity to
occur, this research shows that they both constrain and enable writing
by providing boundaries for what is possible or acceptable … the
social and cultural contexts within which individual writers work give
them the ability to make choices and act in ways that can either
reinforce or potentially change those structures” (Paton, 2009).
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A presentation to ANZCA 2014
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11. Writing as a social activity
• “Typically I do about five drafts before the editor makes
her structural comments, then another two drafts after,
then another two after getting her final comments” (W14,
2006).
• “I have almost daily contact with my editor as I write”
(W21, 2006).
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A presentation to ANZCA 2014
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12. Is all writing creative?
Common understanding of creativity in different writing
domains:
• Fiction writers make things up, of course they are creative
• Journalists make things up, of course they are creative
BUT using a rational, research-based understanding of
creativity, what actually occurs in both domains is hard
work, a complex process of idea generation, development
and evaluation
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A presentation to ANZCA 2014
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13. Conclusion
How are stories created?
• By individuals with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
who can achieve a state of flow
• By individuals who act within social and cultural
structures that constrain and enable their work.
• As commercial activities undertaken with a business-like
approach
• Through inherently social processes
In other words, the product of a system in action.
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A presentation to ANZCA 2014
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14. Bibliography
Amabile, T. and Tighe, E. 1993, 'Questions of creativity', in Creativity: the reality club 4,
(Ed) J. Brockman, Simon and Schuster, New York, pp. 7-28.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. 2003, 'Implications of a systems perspective for the study of
creativity', in Handbook of creativity, (Ed) R. Sternberg, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, pp. 313-335.
Fulton, J. 2011b, Making the news: print journalism and the creative process, PhD thesis,
University of Newcastle, Newcastle.
McIntyre, P. 2008, The systems model of creativity: analyzing the distribution of power in
the studio, paper presented at 4th Art of Record Production Conference, University of
Massachusetts Lowell, 14th–16th November 2008.
Paton, E. 2008, Creativity and the dynamic system of Australian fiction writing, PhD
thesis, University of Canberra, Canberra - accessed 16.12.09.
Wolff, J. 1993, The social production of art, 2nd ed., Macmillan, London.
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15. Thank you
Any questions?
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