Inspiration and the Work

I've been very happy with the reception to Nightwatch and I'm more grateful than I can say to everyone who has given it a chance and to those who've left reviews. I'm so glad you've enjoyed my work!

I've been working on the next part of this story (never worry, it is on the way!) and it has left me thinking about how we come to creative tasks. We often think of it in terms of inspiration and motivation, but I find that it comes down more to giving it the time and giving it time to percolate through my mind.

There are times when a sudden bolt of lightning hits and you find yourself filled with new and wonderful ideas, but those times are few and far between, unreliable at best. I really need to sit myself down at my keyboard and just think about what I'm working on. Think about the characters and about what they need to do. Think about the world and what is happening in it. Think about the bad guys and what they really want. Just think.

And much of the time that will lead to answers, but not all of the time. Sometimes I sit and I type and I delete and I type again and ultimately nothing of any real use happens; or so it seems. This isn't wasted time though as this often serves to fill my mind with the necessary "what-ifs" that will lead to an "ah-ha" moment later in the day or the week or the month.

Our minds, or at least mine, seems to work on two planes. There is the active, intentional plane where I'm consciously working on things; and the passive, subconscious part where things are processed on their own until a conclusion or insight is finally reached.

I guess the point I'm trying to make, if anything at all, is that creative work is a process. That process involves actual "work" as well as simply waiting. Waiting for your mind to process, to cultivate, to fill the space between ideas until we can finally see the connections.

So, go do the work even if it doesn't seem to lead anywhere in the moment and give your mind time to think, even if it's thinking without your help.

Go Dreaming.