The HEA Cafe

Yesterday, I was sorting through some old papers and found a quotation. “Creative successes are often preceded by creative failures, for trial and error are the natural companions of creativity.”

It made me think about my WiP, which currently makes me feel like I’m wading through treacle. One step forward, twenty back. Ten pages written, nine deleted. That kind of thing. If I’m honest, this process is nothing out of the ordinary, at least not for me. Usually right smack bang in the middle of a story I get lost in the fog and plum forget that the creative process is full of trial and error. By it’s very nature, it has to be. Instead, I get frustrated that the story’s not flowing. I think maybe it’s a pile of junk and should be abandoned. Except by this time, I’m usually so taken with the h/H and want them to find their happy ending, that I struggle through the crud until that little ray of light shines through and I find my way again.

So, I’ve typed out that anonymous quotation and stuck it above my computer, ready for the next time I’m deep in doo-doo land. It’s right there next to Picasso’s wise words “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it“.

What about you? Do you have any words that inspire you when the going gets tough?

Tricia
http://www.tricia-jones.com
Satin Lies, now available from Samhain Publishing