Craft, Process, and the Quiet Work

I frequently find myself daydreaming, and before I know it, distracted. Writing, at its heart, is an act of paying attention. It’s the quiet decision to show up again, to sit in the chair with the screen…Blank. I wait for some word or voice, to listen for whatever truth is trying to surface. Most days, creativity doesn’t crash in like a lightning strike. It drifts in slowly, like San Francisco fog. Sometimes little scraps of thought come through, or half lines, something overheard, a question that keeps tugging at my sleeve.

The story reveals what it wants to be.

A few things I try to remember:

~ Show up: sometimes you get into the zone; that is the best.

~ Draft fast: discovery first. I have to get to know my characters before I can understand how they get into the messes they do.

~ Read like a writer: the rhythm, the flow, structure, author's choices. It sometimes sparks a writing sprint.

~ Protect early drafts: let the piece grow before inviting critique. Unless you have a writing group that helps you weed through the swamp of your draft.

If you’re somewhere in the middle of a project right now, consider this your permission slip: to savor the messy draft…it counts. The work you’re doing is real, and it matters.

This is where I am too—and honestly, it’s a pretty good place to be.