When an idea takes root in the mind of an author, he or she has a certain process that they go through from the concept to the completion of a literary project. I did not think about this process myself, until this evening, when I realized that I have a certain procedure, which I follow. The process is not something that is laid out like a plan for me, it is more like an unconscious step-by-step method that I follow.
I was just watching Mission Impossible, “The Ghost Protocol”, which is the fourth in the Mission Impossible franchise of movies. In the movie the whole story revolves around the launch codes for a nuclear weapon. Ethan Hunt has to stop the villain from getting the launch codes and firing a missile into space to destroy a city. The story continues till a satisfying conclusion is reached.
This got me thinking about my own literary process. From the second that an idea enters my mind I follow a pattern till the project is completed, satisfactorily in my opinion and my creative process is complete.
My literary Launch Codes for my ideas from inception till completion are I.C.S.C. (Imagination, Creation, Speed, Completion). These are the keywords that power my literary projects. As soon as an idea enters my mind, my imagination begins to work with the idea, with a brainstorming session. I next start creating my ideas in bits and pieces like a puzzle, as I find every odd and matching piece.
On the third step, I speed up the process, this is done when the creation takes on its own life and it wants to get all the ideas together in one place. The last and final step, is when the literary project is complete. I can now review the whole literary piece and appreciate the work that was put in, while ensuring that nothing was left out and that there is nothing more that I need to add, say or remove from the project.
Writing Prompt: As a writer, what are the launch codes for your literary work?