Inspiration Comes From Writing

#9 - Hacks don't exist, only work.

In 1534, Rabelais wrote this line:

"Appetite comes from eating."

From his book Gargantua. The story of a giant with an enormous appetite. But his titan doesn't need to be hungry to eat. He just has to start eating. And once he starts, he becomes insatiable.

It was this line that inspired today's post:

"Inspiration comes from writing."

Everyone's looking for productivity hacks, sources of inspiration or writing secrets hidden from Muggle eyes... whereas...

The magic happens simply by sitting at your desk.
By having a quiet time to write.
By respecting your writing slot and taking care not to have any distractions during it. (this part is key, how can you be inspired if your mind isn't totally free to write?)

The act of writing is the root that allows you to create your many stories. And it's only when the root is planted that the rest can grow.

For those of you who follow me on Notes, you'll know that I started a new novel about ten days ago.

I'm on chapter 10.
And I've taken some amusing notes.

• When I started out, I only had a small plot that fit on a few lines.

• By the end of chapter 1, chapter 2 had become clear in my mind

• By the end of chapter 4, my main character's past became clear.

• By the end of chapter 5, the creation and appearance of another main character became an obvious choice.

• At the end of chapter 8, I finally had the end of my novel in sight. Until then, I didn't know how I wanted to end it.

• The elements of chapter 10 came into being as I was writing chapter 10. I never thought I would go there. It just came naturally.

• The further the story progresses, the easier it is to tie knots and correct inconsistencies.

It's as if these ideas couldn't have arisen if I hadn't written the previous words.

You can always plan what you're going to write. But there's nothing like sitting down and starting to do it.

There's no point in over-planning.

Focus on :

• having time to write

• writing

Everything else is secondary.

Writing is the only way to generate ideas for the next lines. The more ideas you generate, the easier it will be to connect them to create new ones.

Starting with a plot of a few lines, you can create entire stories.

There's no need to be anxious about the magnitude of the task.
What we need is time and discipline.

Start writing and trust yourself.

"If you follow your writing routine, that you continue to write over a long period of time, after a while there's bound to be some genius coming out of it."

I believe in this.

Every day, I have my writing time. I try to produce without putting pressure on myself. Then I move on. Because there's more to life than writing.

One day, in a few years, in a dozen or maybe later, if I manage to be disciplined, there'll be genius coming out of my writing.

As soon as you set aside time each week for writing and stick to it for long enough: you've won.

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I'd like to thank those who sent me messages about reading recommendations. I'm happy if you've found some great reads.

For those who still haven't. Read the Count of Monte Cristo. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, it's gold for improving your descriptive skills. Whether it's the space that surrounds you or the feelings that run through a heart.

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I'm publishing a lot less because I'm working on my long-term projects. I'll be back soon, as soon as they're finished.

Take care, see you next Saturday.