March 2021
Hello from Orlando!
Just a quick update on Blake Jordan #8. I’ve loosely plotted the story and met with my developmental editor last week. Later today, I’ll be having a follow up meeting with her. This is going to be a great story! I’m excited to start writing it tomorrow (no foolin’!).
It always amazes me how these stories develop and take shape. Usually it starts with months of procrastination, just sitting around watching cat videos, waiting for the ‘perfect’ idea to come to me… and it ends with me getting frustrated with myself and scheduling a meeting with my editor to force myself to come up with something—anything—just an idea to work with to bring to the meeting with her. Mostly it’s a trick I play on myself. Because I don’t want to show up empty-handed, and to get past the procrastination phase, I schedule the meeting so there’s a deadline to have an idea by.
I run the idea by my editor and we bat it around back and forth. She pokes holes in it. She asks questions I don’t always have the answers to. She asks about motivations and why people, good and bad, would do what they do. Then I take that away and come up with a second, more beefed up version of my story idea and we meet again.
What I’m learning during all of this is that there’s really no such thing as writer’s block.
There’s only procrastinators block. Or maybe it’s really just plain old perfectionism.
But perfection is achieved not when there’s nothing left to add, but when there’s nothing left to take away. Way after a first draft is written… and a second draft and a third. A first draft on any creative project should be fun… with a focus on the journey, not on the outcome. To explore. To follow a trail into the woods to see where it leads.
My youngest son has gotten into legos again. The other night he was totally focused and in the zone. I asked him what he was building. He said he wasn’t really sure… he only knew that when he was done, it’d be awesome. And about an hour later, it was!
I’m starting to understand that this is how the creative process works. You don’t have to know everything… you just need to get started and have fun and see where it all leads.
So tonight, I’ll meet with my editor again and I’ll tell her all of the great ideas I’ve had since last week’s meeting. She’ll give me feedback and she’ll ask more tough questions. Then tomorrow morning, I’ll start writing… not really sure what I’m building.
But knowing when I’m done, it’ll be awesome. -Ken