A motivational speaker I respect tells the story of a woman who desperately wants to write her novel. She has it all worked out, an outline done, primary characters plight, conflict, drama, plot twists and a terrific surprise and satisfying ending. She feels that she has successfully bridged the gap between fiction and the suspension of belief. But she has a problem.
She cannot seem, not matter how hard she tries, to write the first word of her story. At wits end she visits the speaker, who doubles as a life coach, and they talk. They talk deeply, honestly and emotionally. It is obvious that she has the required passion, skill and concept to create something of value. But something is holding her back, like a dam keeping water from the river below. She tells the coach that unless she can resolve this radical case of writers block, she will lose all meaning, joy and remaining self worth. The coach listens, as all good mentors, with objective empathy and compassion. He has a keen understanding of the issues, the process and hopefully, the solution.
His counsel is this: We all need structure. There must be a clear vision of the process and the steps necessary for success. We cannot do everything at once, never has a novel been completed without some unexpected detour. The creative path is one lined with obstacles. One must learn the techniques, master the skills and relentlessly commit to the process. That process is the line by line, page by page, chapter by chapter dedication to the discipline of writing. If you are serious at the cellular level about telling this story, you must create a workable structure and budget the time necessary for completion. This magic takes place one paragraph at a time. That time is what we call structure. I suggest that you dedicate one hour every day, preferably in the morning, to do nothing but push your story towards completion. Do not worry about word counts or pages filed. For that one hour every day let your soul take charge of the effort. Relax into the focus of your craft, its art and its organic creative energy. Do this every day. That is your challenge. He finishes with the invitation to meet again in two weeks.
She accepts his advice and sets out on her heroic journey at 0700 the following morning. In two weeks she revisits the coach in his humble office.
COACH: How is it going?
WRITER: Amazingly well. I have the first six chapters done, minus rewrites and editing, and have increased the daily hour to ninety minutes. I am very excited about the progress and revitalized by the energy flow you have created.
COACH: You have created for you. My reward comes when I get to read your story in its completed manuscript form.
WRITER. I do have a question. Why, clinically, was I so frozen, unable to start? It seems like such a trivial issue looking back upon my block.
COACH. There are any number of reasons, from fear of failure to feelings of inadequacy that keep us from our goals. I think it is simply a deeply rooted misunderstanding of the power of process. Even the tallest buildings in the world started with a single brick. That journey of a thousand miles?
WRITER: First step.
COACH: Structure and the discipline to do what it takes. Every day. No matter what. We begin.
WRITER: And keep going.
COACH, smiling: See you in two weeks.
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