Habits of the Creative Mind

Preface 
1. Orienting 
On Finding Your Feet 
On Habits  
On Thinking New Thoughts 

2. Beginning 
On Unlearning  
On Letting Go of Writing-by-Formula 
On Confronting the Unknown

3. Paying Attention 
On Learning to See 
On Looking and Looking Again 
On Paying Attention to Words 

4. Questioning  
On Asking Questions  
On Writing to a Question 
On Question-Driven Writing 

5. Exploring  
On Going down the Rabbit Hole 
On Creative Reading  
On Choosing Your Own Adventure

6. Connecting 
On the Three Most Important Words in the English Language 
On Joining the Conversation 
On Working with the Words of Others

7. Working Deliberately 
On Seeing as a Writer 
On Reading as a Writer 
On Reading in Slow Motion 

8. Reflecting  
On the Miracle of Language  
On Making Thought Visible   
On the Examined Life 

9. Persisting   
On Encountering Difficulty 
On Learning from Failure  
On Thinking Unthinkable Thoughts

10. Organizing 
On Structure  
On Revising 
On Getting Your Act Together 

11. Speculating 
On Argument as Journey   
On Imagining Alternatives  
On Complexity 

12. Playing   
On Laughter 
On Bending Conventions 
On the Joys of Pseudonymous Writing 

Readings 
Thomas Jefferson, et al., The Declaration of Independence 
Michel de Montaigne, How Our Mind Tangles Itself Up
Danielle Allen, What Is Education For? 
Rachel Aviv, The Edge of Identity  
Rebecca Solnit, Occupied Territory 

Works Cited 

Index