Derek Pietras

Short blog post today, because I honestly want to get back to the subject of this blog, rather than talk about it. But today I pose a question to you. Do you enjoy the creative process? Now, before you slam your way to the comments section with your answer, I want you to seriously consider that question. Here it is again.

Do you enjoy the creative process?

That means all of it. The joys of inspiration, the late nights banging out the words as fast as you can type, the planning out the plot, the realizing a character’s motivations, the struggles to make everything work, the struggle of a character not behaving, the brick wall of a writer’s block, the joy of climbing said brick wall, and whatever else goes into your process. Do you enjoy it? Every second of it?

I bring this up because I was talking to my brother about a joint project he and I are going to tackle. We were doing some research about it, and like any other creative endeavor, the chances of success are alarmingly low. He grew discouraged from this, and I found myself trying to keep him positive. After all, I told him, the process of doing this is, in a way, its own reward. It will be fun to play out a world, populate it with characters, and write stories.

For me personally, that in itself is the goal. And if it doesn’t go anywhere, at least I had fun along the way.

I enjoy the creative process, all aspects of it. Yes, even writer’s block, because it feels like a great challenge to overcome. Overcoming that challenge is its own reward, after all. Writing a story I feel proud of is its own reward. While I’m certainly going to try and get published, and make the best story I can possibly do, the process of getting to that point is really why I write in the first place.

What about you? Do you enjoy the process, or is it just a means to an end? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!