For me, writing is a lot like looking at the stars.
When I look up at the sky on a clear night, I first see the biggest stars and constellations, those that are easiest to view or identify. But then, as I silently soak in my first observations of the most obvious, countless additional stars seem to emerge from the darkness. Smaller stars, or those further away, reveal themselves. The longer I look, the more stars I see above and around me.
This is so often the way it is when I write. As I begin an article, story or poem, I have one or two ideas about what I want to say. Then, as I focus and commit to the piece, more ideas and words reveal themselves. The more involved I become, my mind and soul fill with a cornucopia of possibilities. For words I hadn’t thought of. Or, for how to put those words together. Or the courage to put them aside for others that work better. I’m amazed every time this happens. Those infinite possibilities for expression, gifted by the generous, complex English language, are exhilarating.
Just like the stars, the words don’t appear at first glance—or at first draft. But if I explore, stay creatively open and wait, they are there. And were always there.
