Creative writing is an iterative process for me. My ideas usually come to me randomly, and then I write stream of conscious. The magic occurs when I edit because I will pick out phrases or sentences that compel me the most, then focus and build upon those in my subsequent drafts. I also believe that non-fiction writing and research papers can be quite creative in the way that they are written. I always strive to choose research topics that are interdisciplinary in thought. Informative writing should aim to analyze a topic with a new lens, hence why I believe it is creative.