It's almost too much of a cliche to repeat here, but it's to the point: "Good art is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration." Some artists would make the gap even wider.
Mozart's style of composition was not very difficult, and most of his compositions display a simplicity of form and content that his genius made easy for him. When it came to his "Haydn String Quartets", however, he had to stretch himself. So also with the Requiem.
Beethoven, who is well known for having sweated through every composition he ever created, is considered the greatest composer who ever lived. Yes, we call him a genius, but his genius required much perspiration.
I have written one poem, ONE, mind you, that felt like it just fell from heaven. It still required revision, though only twice. So I know of what you speak first hand, Mister Underhill. Some say it's my best poem. Some say others are better.
Tolkien worked and reworked his story.
I think a distinction is in order. A story can 'write itself', as you have said. But after the initial creative process has drawn to a conclusion, the hard work of giving it a logic and an inner consistency of reality still needs to be accomplished.
Plot is one of the easiest things to write. What happens next comes to be dictated more and more by the rules a writer has written into her/his mythos, as well as by the nature and traits of the characters themselves.
So whereas I agree with you that there is that "spark" of creativity, even the greatest geniuses, I wager, would be forced to admit that they had to sweat a little to bring their wonderful piece of genius to its finished form.
[ May 01, 2002: Message edited by: littlemanpoet ]
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