My Creative Process

“What I love about the creative process, and this may sound naïve, but it is this idea that one day there is no idea, and no solution, but the next day there is an idea. I find that incredibly exciting and conceptually actually remarkable.” — Jonathan Ive

Everyone has a process they follow when creating. Whether it is organized chaos or a strict regimen, you have to follow the method that best suits your personality.

Sometimes when I tell people I’m an writer, they ask me about my process — how do I write. I find this a funny question because I often tell them that all I do is sit at my computer and type. It might sound rather arrogant, but it’s not. Unlike in business, where I have a systematic method and process to achieve my goals and plans, I don’t always have a plan when I’m writing. Sometimes I just write.

Typically, it starts with a vision. It may come from an image, a sound, a conversation, or even a whisper. Then that vision becomes a scene that I replay in my head over and over again. I keep adding to the scene until I have something more tangible. It may just be a glimpse of something, or it may be a glimpse of nothing. Only time will tell.

I think of it as interior decorating. You begin with a theme for your house, and then you choose elements related to that theme and incorporate them into the overall design. A 3D view of the house plays in your imagination, and you recognize the spaces as you glide through each room.

In your mind, you can envision which ceiling, staircase, or balcony would suit the house, but when you draw the actual design, it may look quite different. Some elements remain, and some elements change entirely. When you compare your initial design with the final one, you’re often surprised by the results. You started with a vision, made that vision come to life, yet you weren’t quite prepared when the design took on a life of its own.

Different art forms tell similar stories, and they often run parallel with each other.

I usually write my stories the way I first imagined them. I don’t write them chronologically and then mix up the chapters. I don’t write one point of view after another and then mix those up either. I also don’t skip chapters to write certain scenes. I tend to focus on writing the chapter I’m…