Day 3

In your own space, talk about your creative process - from what inspires you to what motivates you to how you manage to break through blocks. Does your process change depending on the type of creating you're doing? Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Remember that we're talking about anything creative. Rec lists, running a challenge or a community. Pic spams, gif sets, fandom primers. Group re-reads and re-watches, with or without commentary or bad jokes. You get the idea. If you feel like you put creative energy into it, it counts.

I love that this is today's Challenge. I'm always fascinated by the process of writers and artists - how ideas are translated from thought to form, the steps that each creator takes. I'll be reading the replies to this post, to explore paths to creativity that I've never considered.

My process isn't one.I don't outline my stories (as is sometimes obvious when there are huge plot holes.) Even if I tried to plan them in advance, my muses are pushy and insistent creatures. No, no. We need to turn left at the next fork. My characters also make decisions which I am honor-bound to respect. If I planned for Character A to take a plane trip, Character B insists on going. Well, that's not the way I thought this part of the story would play out, but okay, Mrs. Pushy-B, get on the plane with A.

The kernels for my stories come from the most random places imaginable. I battle insomnia because I can't switch off my brain enough to sleep. When I am trying to quiet all the thoughts in my head, I think "What if...?" That leads me down the proverbial rabbit hole. "What if Character A was immortal? What would be the implications? How would that work? Are there others who are immortal? Do they keep it a secret?" That's what led me to write my H50 story The Amaranthines. It was great fun writing a world where some people (the Amaranthines) don't die and I'm considering turning it into an original novel. (I've started it but not gotten very far.)

Other times, I am struggling with something in RL and put the characters in a similar situation. Resolving their crisis/struggle helps bring me closure to mine, even if I can't directly deal with whatever it is I'm trying to put to rest.

Joining 1_million_words has been a boost to my writing. This community is comprised of the most supportive, lovely people imaginable. There are challenges and prompts and cheerleading, and positive energy abounds. I do have to be careful about saying I'll participate in some challenges because if the prompts don't spark my muses, I'll never finish the story. But 1_million_words is pressure free so not finishing is okay.

I've been keeping track of my writing the past few years (partially because of 1_million_words and partially out of curiosity) and discovered I don't/can't write in October. No words - none. And I have no idea why. I love October - the changing of the seasons, the anticipation of Halloween and the holidays that follow, the crispness in the air. My muses either love October too much to come out and provide me with words, or they hate it and go into hibernation. October doesn't have any negative connotations to me - no tragic anniversaries, no bad memories. Just no words.

When I am blocked (like in October) I just let it be. I don't write for a living and if I can't write, I don't. If I try to write when my muses are not available, it is a chore. We have enough chores in RL. Why make something that is supposed to be for fun something to dread? If I don't write in October, the sun will still rise and the moon will still shine.

As much as it pains me to admit it, I do feed on comments on my stories. The positive reinforcement I get when someone says "I really liked this story" makes me want to write MORE. When I post a story and there is silence afterwards, I'm sure it's because I totally suck and I should never write again and the FanFiction Police^TM are at this very moment heading toward my house to take my computer and demand that I never write again. I'd like to believe I only write for myself. And that is partially true - I don't have any choice but to write (except, apparently, in October.) Before the advent of the internet, I wrote all the time anyway. With the internet, I write and post. Positive reinforcement makes me write more. No reinforcement makes me question my abilities. I wish it weren't true but it is. (Insecure much?)

If you've managed to get down this far, Kudos to you! I love exploring the creative process we all go through. The people who are not driven to write don't understand how we can do it. What they really fail to understand is that we can't not do it. To quote Lord Byron: If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad.