Greetings folks! [blows dust off ye olde blog]

Like any other field of endeavour, writing attracts many types of personalities. Every sort of philosophy and viewpoint is represented, somewhere, by someone. From the best-selling authors through to the twitching crafters of manifestos and bizarre fan-fiction, we’re all sitting down to Make the Thing Happen.

One thing I believe we creatives have in common is a hunger. A drive to get those words out, to crystallize whatever we’ve got going on inside our skulls. Everyone has a different reason for doing this, be it a personal journey, a desire for fame and wealth, a need to communicate an important message as far as possible. A deep love of a franchise. Or even just for the lolz.

But it’s important to remember that we’re all hungry, even if it’s for different things. And that’s fricken awesome, folks. Hunger is a great drive for creation, and should be applauded. The opposite of a striving, hungry soul is a complacent and stagnant one. If a writer can deliver that sense of urgency, of importance, to those who read their work, they’ve made the world just that little bit better.

What I’ve observed, both in my own journey and observing that of others, is that the hunger changes. You might change targets, several times. The small victories near the starting line no longer seem sufficient, and as you grow and evolve, you just get hungrier.

Not hungry like the hummingbird, a blur of activity that has to eat and eat, just to keep going (and oh, how I hummed!). I’m thinking more like the deep hunger of a reptile, some long-lived thing that hides beneath rotten logs. You’ll pounce on something and eat, and it will be amazing and satisfying. You’ll digest it for weeks, months, before you need to eat again.

I think that long-view can only benefit the average creative. Focusing on resonance instead of the quick and shiny glim of a tasty bug. Growing into an impressive force that lurks beyond human ken, and is remembered, nay, feared 🙂

Be driven by that deep, slow hunger. Work on something ambitious and memorable, and focus on it like an ancient swamp creature with nothing better to do. I dare you!

“Dude….just finished writing an awesome book. Dude? Where are you going?”