Preface to an Author

Here I sit, my entire life most undesirably turned upside-down, with an entire page full of infinite possibilities before me. I could not be happier.

You see, for those of us who are of a writer's mind, conflict and turbulence are not near the misfortune that they may be for those who are of a different type of mindset. For most of us creative types, these adversities can easily be viewed as a challenge. And even more often, I've found, life's inconveniences and inconsistancies tend to push people like us to create the most amazing things.

I plan on doing just that.

What is my plan? Thats a really good question, which I'm sure we will all know the answer to in time. Now seriously- my plan is to create something amazing, which is not so much a plan as it is a goal that ought to be preceded by a plan. I'm more than a little sure that to create something amazing, you'd better have an amazing plan. Back in my younger days, I had this dream that my writing career would come after many years of just 'being' in different settings, among different cultures, collecting different stories. My, how very Hemingway of me... I, however, have come to the conclusion that that's just not going to work for me. For starters, I'm broke. How on earth do I plan on travelling the earth without a penny in my pocket? Problems less obvious, but just as serious, as the monetary issues are too numerable to count.

Plan B has been concieved. Its merely a twinkle in my eye. I love when things are fresh and new, so full of hope and promise. I'm trying not to think about how many promises I've seen broken lately.

The process of planning? Did I ever think that this piece of literature would turn into a verbatim account of of my personal planning process? Never! Do I think this will be a helpful predecessor of something amazing? You never know. When one thinks of all of the works that weren't initially magical, and therefore scrapped by the author before anyone ever had a chance to experience them, its frightening to think of all the possibilities missed supposing even one ingenius thought was lost to a wastebasket. This gift of finding Writing.com is a less than subtle hint that perhaps I should get my talented way with words out of my head, into the hands of other capable writers.

The first step in my plan to create something amazing is so simple, I can't believe it took me so long to see. Create. I can do that. I am doing that! I can create an entire character based upon one freckle to the left of a nose. I can string words and sentences in perfectly punctuated yarns for which to weave beautiful stories. Creating with words has always been something I can do. The first step, creating, shall certainly be attainable.

What comes after that, though? Once I've created some things, how will I know when they're amazing? With these questions, comes a neccessity to clarify and define. This is an entire feat in and of itself. What, exactly, defines amazing? One dictionary definition of amaze, the root word of amazing is this: 1 to surprise greatly; strike and overwhelm with sudden wonder; astound. For our purposes, we will accept this entry, although it still leaves us with a pretty broad sense of meaning. The first idea about measuring up to amazing is the element of surprise. I surprise myself quite often, so I am forced to conclude that in order to consider this goal accomplished, I must astound someone else. My next thought, however, is whom do I rely upon to gauge what is or isn't astounding?

This is when it hits me. I don't need other people's approval. I am not here for other people's entertainment. I am here for a greater purpose and, whether or not I am aware of it, I am most certainly making progress. A Higher Power, a God if you like, has initiated a plan. He followed up on that plan, and created a whole wide world of amazing things. He gave people the amazing power to choose and the amazing capabilities to create. Thus far down the page, I realize that I have already achieved the goal i set out on. I am creating. And that is amazing.