Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Creative Process

Guest Post from Writer and Musician Mark Siet

Mark Siet is the author of three books on Amazon, Thought Into Form, 360 Degrees of Good, and Reach For the Sky.  In addition he writes a daily column for the LA Kabbalah Examiner.  He is also a professional Jazz guitarist working in the So California Area.  He lives in San Clemente CA with his wife and two cats. 


The creative process begins with a question.  What is it that I am going to discover?  Whether you are beginning a novel or a simple article about growing peas you are going to face that most important question the answer to which will determine where your next steps are being taken.  For example:
You are walking along a pathway you have never traversed before and the road sweeps left and right.  There is a mist covering both pathways at first but then as you look more closely to the right mist lifts a bit revealing a seascape and a winding road leading to a quaint village below.  You pause and consider.  As you do so the mist returns and now you look to your left and the road rises where a magnificent mansion appears suddenly out of the gloom.  It looks exciting but foreboding.  Which way do you turn?

These are the kinds of choices every writer faces and for many it can be a paralyzing experience.  Each way you turn offers uncertainty and yet you are intrigued which is why you have decided to write in the first place.  What advice can we give here?

Focus on the left or the right but once you head down that road either way have no regrets.  Trust that the journey will be just as full of adventures either way you go.  The process as we mentioned initially is one of discovery in the moment.  After all that is what really matters.

There is a curious effect that takes place almost as though you were building that road ahead of you as you simultaneously dream up imaginatively where it is going.  In any creative process that is where your inspiration comes into play.  It is the driving force behind all momentum and the recognition that both beginning and end are a part of the same unity of purpose.  You have something to say and it does not become complete until you express it.  It is in that expression that all life and light are working overtime for you.  Continue on.  You never know what you will find but it is guaranteed to be amazing!

No comments:

Post a Comment