How to Capitalize on the Ideas in Glyer's Bandersnatch
I recently read a book called Bandersnatch, by Diana Pavlac Glyer, and it ended up being the best book I read that month. The book is academic but accessible, practical but open-ended. As someone who has creative aspirations - and, more especially, has friends who would like to work creative muscles - I thought this book could be a helpful guide. Bandersnatch had ideas for creating one-time events as well as regularly planned sessions to encourage creativity.
Takeaways from the Book
Here, I've tried to summarize the summaries that Glyer included at the end of each chapter. I also drew some ideas from the longer chapter texts. My hope is that I've summarized the ideas succinctly enough to not violate copyright. I read this work in ebook format, so I've included the page numbers that were indicated by my Kindle.
1) "Creativity itself is a messy business." (p. 25). It's okay for the process of writing and editing to be full of twists and turns.
2) Great groups might be small and meet in various locations. Sometimes meetings are formal, sometimes they're unplanned. Meet regularly and try to have a structure. (p. 46) Stay focused on your purpose, whether it be writing and critiquing, airing suggestions, or just providing support and encouragement. (p. 195)
3) Be encouraging! Yes, back the project, but also help create an environment in which writing and creativity can take place. (p. 72) This can include taking practical steps for a friend. Support projects with editing, but also with spawning project ideas and reflecting on and celebrating the completed works. (p. 198)
4) We work individually and can have great ideas individually, but our craft can also be greatly refined and complemented by the ideas of others. (p. 191) It's good to have common ground as well as differing perspectives within the group, even though different ideas will likely spark conflict. Correction can be important in the creative process, but it cannot be too harsh or untempered by encouraging, positive comments. (pp. 94-5)
5) Give specific, creative feedback rather than general statements, such as reductions in specific places, placement of sentences, word choice, etc. Seek feedback sooner rather than later. Be open to making changes, but know that the author has the ultimate right to accept and use or reject feedback. (p. 127, 199) Know the difference between not liking something personally and recognizing something is subpar. (pp. 198-9) It's alright to get individual feedback for some things, rather than going to the group (p. 201)
6) Collaborate! Ideas for projects and writings can spring up in a variety of activities and look nothing like formal collaboration. Don't be afraid to try out a joint project with someone (or several people). (pp. 151-2) Consider being part of multiple creative groups (p. 200), or even consider writing about the people in your creative group (p. 174)
7) On the Inklings finding time: "Yes, we are busy, but then, so were they." ( p. 196) Being in touch helps keep the momentum going.
Regular Meetings
If I were to plan regularly scheduled creativity meetings for my creative group, this is the blueprint I would develop based on the suggestions of Bandersnatch.
First, I would schedule to have regular meetings, once a month, at a minimum. This might not be as frequent as it needs to be to maintain creative momentum, but I fear that scheduling something more regularly, such as every other week, might seem like too much to fit into a packed schedule. Besides, it's easier to mark something like "last Tuesday of the month" on a calendar instead of "every other Wednesday". Ideally, the meeting would begin with a meal and extend through several hours.
The attendees would be those of a certain friend group of creatives. Others could potentially be added on, but the person desiring their attendance must ask permission of the group first. The person to be added would have to be a good friend, as these meetings would likely require a level of vulnerability of its members. Once members are approved, they are encouraged but not required to attend every meeting, with the understanding that attendance is key to maintaining momentum. More flexibility in this area could be accommodated by more frequent meetings.
A potential schedule could look something like this:
6:00 p.m.: Grace said and meal begins, members socialize and catch up; if no meal, snacks and drinks acquired
6:45 p.m.: Dishes cleared, drinks refilled, and group assembles in discussion area
6:50 p.m.: Prayer for the group and God's peace to be present
7:00-9:00 p.m.: Discussion begins of creative works and picking of goals or assignments
9:15 p.m.: Ending prayer and folks head back home (flexible end time, depending on who is hosting and the day of the week)
The 7-9 p.m. slot would probably have a more detailed structure. It would include presentation of work, critical and encouraging feedback, and choosing of the goal for the next session. Next, after people presented the works they'd brought, there could be time for brainstorming if people need something to get them started, collaborative work, more detailed feedback or one-on-one discussions. Troubleshooting barriers to creativity and requests for prayer could be brought up as well. It would be good to celebrate successes and reflect upon them at the end, if they have not come up throughout.
The only accountability would be, if someone misses a monthly session or does not complete the assignment, they are allowed to give only limited feedback - one piece of feedback per piece presented. The person who misses a monthly session will be limited upon their next attendance. I would lean towards no leniency in this matter if only to encourage people to push themselves to meet their goals. Besides, if no one had anything, what would there be to discuss?
One-Time Event: The Writers Retreat
Bandersnatch also gave me some ideas about how to structure a Writers Retreat, an event idea I've tossed around with a friend several times. If the retreat spans two to three days, it might look something like this:
Day 1 (Just an evening, after dinner)
Get settled in rooms. Leave phone in room as much as possible throughout.
Gather in meeting space
Brief opening prayer
Introductory speech explaining the schedule (on handout) as well as remarks about creativity and the purpose of this retreat (to create, socialize, recharge, and especially, to place our works in God's hands)
Socialization, focused on eating snacks and discussing the creative work(s) we want to tackle this retreat (writing, art, craft, trying out something new)
Evening prayer in chapel
Bed
Day 2
Mass, breakfast
Gather in meeting space; pray
Discuss goal for the morning
Dismissed to work on creative endeavors (3 hours)
Lunch: discussion of how things are going, discussing challenges, good moments, but not revealing too much!
Post-lunch prayer and short talk
Continuation of creative endeavors (1 to 1.5 hours only)
Game time! Some variety of board game (different way to stimulate creativity)
Games and socialization until dinner time
Dinner
Rosary
Keynote talk
Half hour of reflection or down time
Walk around the grounds (walking tour)
Day 3
Mass, breakfast
Gather in meeting space; pray
Discuss goal for the morning
Dismissed to work on creative endeavors (only 1-2 hours), working to finish up
Lunch
Presentation of creative projects or parts of projects that people have worked on throughout the weekend
Final (brief) talk
Pray, dismiss
Action Items
Sometimes, a blog post is a nice mental exercise. However, this is the sort of post that needs to have follow up. I'm going to send this to one friend, but also float the idea of a writers retreat by other friends again, and also see if there'd be interest in a regularly-meeting creative group. I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to it myself, but it might be something I gain more excitement for if other people are interested in it. However, what I feel most convicted about is the need to pray about what to do. Prayer first, discussion later.
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