Make Up Your Mind

Once again on Monday morning I can't decide what to talk about. Only today instead of having to reach for a topic, three or four keep raising their hands, pushing the others out of the way, and yelling, "Pick me! Pick me!"

So I decided to write about making choices.

It's rarely easy.

I'm not going anywhere near real life choices here. Writing choices are hard enough.

They start the moment we begin thinking about a project. You know that time. An idea pops into your head. It grows a little bit. A little more. Pretty soon you notice it hopping on one foot and turning somersaults.

Then you think a little bit about it. If I go with this what comes next? What's that character really like? What's her name? What does she do when her world falls apart? What if?

Yikes. In ten seconds you have five choices to make. And that's only the beginning.

They don't stop.

On the last editing pass . . . you're so close to finishing you can taste it. The last chapter . . . last page. Your palms are sweaty. Almost done. For real.

Uh-oh. What's this?

Why did she say that? That's really stupid. She should've said this. Or, no. This is even better. Which one would she say?

Choices.