CREATIVE DRIVE

The newsletter for people who have questions

NUMBER 54

Start. Continue. Finish. Repeat.

IT ISN'T A MATTER OF WANTING to begin. It isn't matter of dragging your tired old brain across the finish line. Forget about "having to do" it at all. If you can write, you should do so. Writing is a privilege for those who can perceive its beauty.

If you want something, you'll yearn for it. You might even feel desperate. Imagine that you're stuck in traffic. Oh, what the heck. You have a new car, anyway. It's fun, sporty and cute. Suddenly you're surrounded by rolling symbols of wealth: Porsches, a Bentley, a Ferrari and something that resembles a McLaren. You wonder what those people have done to deserve those fabulously sexy cars. You become agitated. A passenger in the adjacent seat would think you're behaving irritably, but you sit and stew: "Why don't I have a car like that!? All I have is this boring little BMW!"

Calm down. After all, it isn't a competition. You're just taking care of an errand. A quick trip to the gas station and Donut Hut is all that matters.

Writing is a gift, but it's still an ordinary activity. Just as a hygienist sits atop a padded stool and scrapes the plaque from your teeth, a writer sits in a worn chair with a broken caster and scrapes together sentences. Only the reader can justifiably call it extraordinary.

The stress continues. "Oh, God," you mutter. "Won't I ever be able to write something without . . . ."

Without what? Were you going to say, "without worrying about it"? Well, you've answered your own question. For you, writing is a chore. As George Harrison deadpanned in "A Hard Day's Night," it's "a drag . . . a well-known drag."

Wake up! Get dressed and make the bed! Feed the cat and brew up some coffee. Put a smile on your face and feel thankful for another chance to be great. This is how you'll get it done:

1. Sit down. Unless you like bashing your forehead on the low ceiling of your attic office, a seated position is best.

2. Get to work. Quickly note the time and then start. Begin "immediately," which is a touch sooner than now. "Now" is for people who have to be told to get started. When you do something immediately, it's proactive. It's delightfully adverbial, and the action is all yours.

3. Continue. That's right, keep going. An hour or two ago you found that you were able to crank an outline, an opening sentence, an introductory paragraph and eventually two or three pages. That's a demonstration of perseverance, and it really makes you feel good. So, other than for an elderly cat that wants a second lunch, why should you pause? Stopping is for quitters and break-takers. If you do feel the need for a break, try to stall. Say, "Maybe I'll take a look at that part on the second page, where the drunken antihero stumbles through his office door and the moonlight momentarily blinds him." The same applies to copywriting, editing, design, songwriting and everything else that doesn't matter till we have something to show for it. If you can eschew the desire for a nap, you probably didn't need it anyway.

4. Finish. Your goal, as a writer or other creative person, is to complete what you begin. Yeah, yeah, we all know about creativity for the sake of exploration. Does life really work that way anymore, though? Is there time to sit and fumble around on a permanently borrowed high-school saxophone while the sun burns its way across the sky? Will you see your reflection in the window at sunset and say, "Man . . . . That blues riff sounds terrific on my horn!" No. Life does not work that way. Work doesn't work that way either. So, remember that you started something in order to finish it.

5. Repeat. Carry out the above-described procedure daily until it becomes a routine. It's like jogging: Do it once, and that's all there is. Do it five days in a row, and you're a runner. So, sit down and write every damned day. After a while, you'll be free to gamble. So, go ahead. Take the risk and get a puppy! A little doggie will keep the cat entertained and show you what it means to be in love with life. Then, between cleanups, you'll create more memorable writing.

Stop worrying about how in the world you're ever going to finish the project. Does it ever go unfinished unless you simply don't feel like doing it?

"Dearest client . . . sir . . . I mean, madam: I was right in the middle of my assignment when a tornado appeared–right in Seattle–and ripped the roof off of my apartment building. Everything from the blender to the laptop and my boyfriend went with it. Oh, it was just terrible. Umm . . . . Will you still pay me?"

Procrastination is our common enemy. Procrastination has a face, and you can see it in the bathroom mirror. Vanquish the enemy now! Do it today, for your sake and that of your readers!

THANK YOU for reading this issue of Creative Drive. The next edition will offer tips to make the creative process even more fun and productive.

I'll see you soon.

Copyright ?2024 by Lawrence Payne. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated or distributed without permission from the author.