I’ve been having the most marvelous time these past few weeks writing my novel.
Now, hopefully we all have times of pleasure pursuing our creative endeavors. Otherwise, why would we bother?
But I had to chuckle. Not long ago I was writing blogs about fearing research (Research Overload) and overthinking and overwhelming (Am I/I Am Overthinking?).
These were, and ARE, legitimate concerns for most of us any time we think about taking on a project larger than ourselves. And we should be cautious. We should give thought about exactly what we want to accomplish and how we will get there.
But once we push through all the intimidation, apprehension, and false starts, once we start moving forward on creating our dream work, we find that we can really enjoy the ride.
I found that I didn’t need to fill in the days and nights ahead of time. I didn’t need to have every encounter outlined, every reaction accounted for. That I could follow a general direction and fill it in one research day at a time.
Did I worry myself into an early grave? Hardly. But at the beginning it felt like it.
At the beginning I couldn’t see how I could possibly create a life-like situation from a non-life situation. How I could be the participant in an adventure I never went on.
Then I started to write.
An introduction. A general feeling. A general direction. I loved to write, so I knew I wouldn’t let my inability to research or function stop me. I researched every place, every reference, every food. I thought about how I would react if I were really to see and do the things my lead character does.
And it became easier.
Your projects will become easier, too.
Sometimes you do need an exact outline, an exact layout, of whatever it is you wish to create. You can’t willy nilly a landscape painting without wondering about the trees, the houses, the season. Same is true for the design of a mosaic or a mural.
Once you get that general feeling, that general outline, in your head, you can start creating. You can go wild, stay straight, or take a quick left turn, if that’s what your muse tells you to do.
You can break the rules once you know what the rules are.
I still have quite a few things to work out, including the big last night climax. I haven’t a clue yet as to who it is with or what it is or what they will talk about. But I know it will come.
Here’s to each and every one of you having a blast with your creations. Hard work pays off, if only in the heart, often in ways you cannot imagine.
And there is nothing greater than a payoff from the heart.