Let it Flow!

I have been thinking for the past few months about why I have been unable to make any progress with part II of my book ‘Cool but Confused” (which I intend to re-launch under new title when it catches my fancy again). Problem-solving is fun (my own problems; not those of others). I mull over issue for months, even years, and at times it seems that the trail has gone cold. The solutions often come just as other people have forgotten the issue; circumstances have changed, and I have developed a new perspective over the long period of time that has passed. Also, you become detached with things after long period of time and that makes it easy to swiftly implement solutions that seemed brutal before.

So, here’s what came up after the little thinking exercise.

The characters in my previous book are based on friends who have been by my side since the last 20 years. The stories in it were based on the experiences they shared with me at various points during those long years of bonding. Even though it was written in just a year, I might have been unconsciously researching for a long time for that book.

Two years on, many interesting things have happened, but I need time to process information, dilute the facts and fuse multiple experiences so their origins become untraceable. That can only happen with passage of time.

I never take notes because of this. I don’t like to cling to memories and people, and re-reading old diaries just makes you realise how stupid you were in the past. You do not need a diary to remember forever the memories that impact you deeply. The colours of pain and joy mix over the years and the story unfolds in layers as you write. I only write a story about an experience if it stays with me for a long time. If it is trivial, I am not going to waste my time and that of the reader by noting it down and writing about it –and therein lies the impediment in the path of Project X (tentative name for my next book).

I have had many experiences but very few of them are worth remembering. It is not writer’s block. It is a drawback of my creative process and I must live with it. I am also working on improving that process. I spent a lot of time overthinking whether or not to feature my imaginary friends in my book, and ultimately decided I should leave it to the readers to decide (please see the poll). I will continue to spend a long time over ideas and write slowly but consistently; only, I will mull over more meaningful ideas and stop pushing myself to write.

I am letting it flow when it wishes to, and yes, it is flowing!

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