What's required for creative writing?

An article I wrote equating what we do on this site, to that of a chef and their cronies, has me rethinking how I explained my hypothesis. “For good creative writing, an author capable of doing all the work.” a statement I made in the lead up to the article equating to what other groups need for their master pieces being multi layered, multi divided to get a finished product.

I might have given a wrong impression as to my intended, this article was for the authors who enjoy using Street Articles to expound their writings of various subjects, to hone skills so difficultly learnt elsewhere. Never would I the unlettered, elucidate on the differences of writing for commercial gain as to that of pleasure. My referrals are to the authors within this program that must decide upon their subject, research and whittle the analysis to the size that will be writeable in an article of just over 400 words and then after writing the said piece, to edit it. Is that not being the chef and all his cronies down to the bottle washer?

One of the comments given and I quote, “I write from the heart, and figure something universal will happen. Talk to the universal mind.” my how that depicts my very own philosophy. As no English Major tertiary educated student, I am not endowed with finer art of regulated, coordinated, correct writing. But as per the commenter, I write from the heart, I write what I feel and hope and pray that it is not perceived as total hogwash. I write for pleasure and practice (if I may call it that) in the hope that one day I will grow up to become a commercial author.

Mickey Spillane, (almost set reading for me at school) my reference when set composition writing by those trying their best to beat some form of English into this unwilling head. Unacceptable, it was not received by those teachers and penmanship became a hated task, one I felt as a mathematician I would not need in later years. With a set book, “Animal Farm”, reputed as the correct way of how to write, my concern to the communistic references in underlying text within the book, became a lost cause of something I would never master, in fact never wanted to master.

It was only with early retirement and the need to find another form of income to sustain me till the end, my computer program requiring encoding and time to complete, that I took to writing. A document needed for an undertaking, required me to sit and seriously expound my knowledge of that subject in book form. I completed this in three months, and it took 830 pages of text, fortunately not article type writing but more technical. This being difficult enough the change over to article writing in this forum a pleasure.

The need to edit ones own work, to critique and imagine how others will receive the article became my biggest fear. Would my grammar, spelling, sentence form and other such teachings from school days, long forgotten, be seen as entertainment by the authors that knew how to write? It took courage to write that first article, the result, a few that read and no comments, but being published was all that mattered to me. The “devil-may-care” attitude followed, and the articles poured forth, for pure enjoyment.

Now to equate the reflections of my articles against that which I would need for commercial gain, would need the advice of a team. The earlier scenario of “chief cook and bottle washer” goes out the door, so to speak. I could never expect what I write to have a marketable value, an editor and all the other necessary team mates required. The difference being, an article as we write here is our own and nobody else's. An article for a magazine or news paper, the advice from an editor, what to go and write about, and then they take their red pencils and murder the article to what they want. I often wonder why do they not just write it themselves? But I digress, a book for commercial publication, a combination, so many people, some that give their thanks on the first page show it as a team effort of readers suggestions, received aid on topics, and all the other editorial staff.

None of that could ever equate to what we do here in this forum, where I see it as a happy, enjoyable, writing experience, almost a school where I can learn from those more practiced, able and creative than I.