When considering the creative process, what is the right way? What is the best approach for a big project? I asked myself this question when I sat my “flying by my pants” seat down to write my first book. How do you write a book? What’s the creative process? Who has the best productivity tips? One thing is for sure – don’t believe what they say!
I took classes to try to learn the creative process. Every expert had a different correct process. One said to write for an hour every day. Another recommended a four-hour block on Saturday mornings. A third advocated taking a whole weekend – get a hotel room, don’t eat, don’t sleep – just write.
Already I was confused by the creative process of writing.
Sheesh! The only common denominator of the three opinions I heard was to write! Maybe I should focus on the book, not the process.
So I ignored all those productivity tips. I wrote for a couple of days and then put the draft aside for two months. I didn’t really forget about it, I called that time “percolating.” Then I brought it out and wrote a couple more days – a few hours here, a few hours there – and then set it aside again. It took me two years to publish “Flying By the Seat of Your Pants.”
In hindsight, that was my process. But only for that first book. Each subsequent book I published was different. Publishing got easier once I changed my focus from the creative process to the outcome. Your projects will get easier, too:
- Understand why you want to tackle this project
- Who is the beneficiary of this work? Do it with them in mind.
- Clearly visualize what you want at the end of the effort
- Consider various methods to get to that result
- Account for your time and energy restrictions
- Start!
Whatever big project you next tackle, keep your desired result in mind, and let the creative process develop itself. Don’t force it.