No more fooling around!

“Chickens and fraidy-cats may begin with five minute segments.”

The one thing that I keep hearing and reading from various writers—“You can’t wait for inspiration to strike. You’ve just got to write. Every day.” Or…something like that. The point is—at some point in every writer’s career (it seems like), they all reflect back to the beginning and say that they just had to get over the idea that all of a sudden some BIG IDEA would strike and boom! they’d have their novel. Apparently it just doesn’t work like that.

I will admit, I had a difficult time getting focused on this writing project because, like so many beginning writers, I really just wanted that big idea to strike. I felt stuck waiting for the inspiration. In the mean time I’d started reading books and blogs and stories written by other writers and publishers just trying to feel like I was somehow moving forward. Eventually I had a dream. In that dream I met a man whose face has remained with me ever since. He has evolved into my main character. Before I knew it I was sitting in an Asian American Experiences class, vigorously scribbling the details of this man’s life. He was telling me who he is. He introduced another character to me. And another. And before I knew it I had three characters, and I even felt like I knew how they all related, or how they would all come to relate. But I was still struggling to come up with some sort of beginning to my story.

One night, at a coffee shop with friends, we were relaxing and chatting on some comfortable couches. We were looking at some photos that one friend had taken, sharing stories and frustrations, hopes for the near future and even some failures of the past (lighthearted, funny failures). All of a sudden…I was shouting that I needed a pen and paper. I’m pretty sure every patron was staring at me. One friend couldn’t understand what the commotion was and the other started frantically dumping the contents of her oversized bag onto the couch cushion (You know who you are. Yes, your bag is big!) While I was searching for a scrap of paper she pulled out the outside of a pen that had lost its ink tube, spring, clicky-thingy…everything! How the hell was I supposed to write with that?! And on what surface?!? I recovered quickly and remembered that the coffee shop has…NAPKINS!! And that attached to the book I was reading…A HIGHLIGHTER!! SAVED! I quickly scrawled the thought swimming in my head; I’d now been trying to keep it from being washed down the proverbial drain for at least a minute…and it came out effortlessly! A place, a time, a character…a scene!

So as it turns out, waiting for inspiration to strike did work for me…this time at least. I’ve been able to write the first few pages. I wish I could say that I’ve written more, but I unfortunately don’t have the ability to set aside a certain amount of writing time every day—which is what every writer recommends. At least, I keep telling myself that I don’t have that ability, but I bet I could if I really worked at it.

I meant to write while I was out of town and disconnected from (most) technology for several days. But I ended up just sleeping and basking in the semi-warm southern Utah weather. I’ve also read several writers’ recommendations to hold off on beginning or continuing a piece until you’ve kept it in your head for so long that it’s begging to be put onto paper. But life has gotten so crazy now that I worry about losing that spark of inspiration that started it all. I worry the man’s face will fade from my memory and no amount of written detail can ever make him seem as lifelike again as he was the first time I saw him.

What I do know will keep me going, even through all the struggles and “writer’s block”, is that this piece is something that I very quickly became passionate about. For me, there is no other feeling than feeling my pen flow across the paper as the words fall onto the page so effortlessly (or sometimes with great effort!). There’s no greater reward than knowing I’ve written a golden line, a perfect sentence, a vivid description.

Every writer, every person, has inspirational moments. Moments when the spark ignites or the idea bursts into your mind so clearly you think you must have seen it every day of your life. What inspires you? What motivates you to keep going when the project gets tough? What are you so passionate about that regardless of what happens, you find a way to follow through and complete your project?
For me: Today’s the day! No more fooling around…