Creative Process

When I started writing blog posts daily, I jotted ideas on a list as they came to me. One sentence/word notes to myself. Gradually "about what" generation and writing became a habit, so that I didn’t even need to refer to “stored ideas”. 

Even as I started working on a first book, the idea of writing a book still intimidates me. Blogging no longer does. Neither does putting my ideas out in public, since I have been doing this regularly. I store the posts I put on LinkedIn, and I have written 235 pages (about 170,000 words) since February 2019. Longer than a book, but not a book. I still have work to do in the editing etc. 

I am most productive when I have confidence in a process that works. Second time is less scary, but you don’t get a second time without a first time. 

Part of my creative process this time, was recording myself talking to myself. I mapped out 12 chapters based on what I had been grappling with for the previous 5 years on my blog. Then some sub-points for each chapter. Then I just spoke about it, and recorded that on Zoom. Then I used Otter.ai to get a transcript. 

Now, I am gradually working through that transcript day by day. I write a paragraph based on the next bit of the transcript, then use naturalreaders.com/online/ to read it back to me. 

A long process, but fortunately I am not scared of things taking time. I think the best things do. Most of all, I enjoy the process. 

Thinking aloud instead of in silence also means I am engaging with people. My water cooler conversations often relate to a post I have written, but it is the colleague who brings it up. Stumbling on and grappling with ideas that resonate is why I enjoy my creative process. 

I am still intimidated by the idea of writing a book... but, it seems, that is what I am doing.