A novel is a series of decisions
That’s the hard part
That’s the slog
The deciding, scene by scene
But . . .
There comes a point
Where you’ve made all the decisions
And the words rush out
There’s nothing left to do
But be on the page
I hear this advice
About writing
In a recorded seminar
By an author I love
–Maggie Stiefvater–
And it clicks, for my writing
Why it feels easier at the end
The decisions for this draft
Already made
(It clicks,
Why I should maybe
Make more decisions
Before I start typing in the first place)
But I also hear this advice
And think Ah-ha!
Life is also a series of decisions
That’s what’s required of this choose your adventure
We hear about decision fatigue
When talking about the types of spaghetti sauce
When choosing dessert off the Cheesecake Factory menu
When scrolling through the Netflix options
But it’s everything
That’s what habits are for, I guess
To make things happen
So we can turn our brains off
Save up for the big ones
Like money and geography and babies
And if should spend my free time committing to more decisions
By writing a novel
Uffda.
With Love,
Natalie