Today I finished my line edits on Book 3 of the Flight and Flame trilogy! Which on one hand is a cause for celebration, but on the other hand, it also means I have no excuse to keep fiddling with word choices and sentence rhythm for the rest of my life. It’s time to move on to drafting a brand-new project, aka my Least Favorite Phase of Writing Anything Ever. . It’s at times like this that I need a good writerly pep talk, to keep me from despairing over all the things I don’t know. Usually by the time I start a first draft I’ve got a vague (or even not so vague) idea of the setting and characters, and have even have written a few snippets to get a feel for the book’s voice and POV. I have a general idea of the point at which the book begins, and maybe even a memorable scene or sentence to start off with. But there are so many choices to make along the way, every one of which could send the story off in a new direction. Is it the right choice to drive the plot and characters forward? Or is it a narrative dead end that I’ll regret later, when I have to unpick and rewrite the first few chapters of the book before I can go on? . So to mark the occasion of launching out on a new project — even if I’m not completely sure yet which of several possible novel and short story ideas it’s going to be — I’m sharing this graphic I made to keep on my desktop. The words are from Tim Clare, a British poet/author who hosts a podcast called “Death of 1000 Cuts,” and also offers a free 8-week “Couch to 80K Boot Camp” series that I found very helpful when I was gearing up to write my last novel. . “I can choose to start right now.” “I can always take one small step.” “Writing is a process of discovery.” . They’re simple thoughts, but all too easy for me to forget when the idea of coming up with a Whole New Novel seems huge and overwhelming. Right now, “I can always take one small step” is what I need to remember. Which thought resonates the most with you? . . . #writinglife #writinginspiration #writingtips #writingislife #writingquotes #writinglove #writingcommunity #writingofinstagram #writingabook #writingadvice #timclare #deathof1000cuts #couchto80K #flightandflametrilogy https://www.instagram.com/p/B_RGvLBAyMg/?igshid=1ask6r6a6fec8