The Magic of Rough Drafts, Critique Groups and Rehearsals

Some of the stories of the birth of the Goddess Athena have her springing from the head of Zeus fully formed in all her perfection. The God Zeus may have been able to bring forth a finished creation from his head but it is not quite so easy for us lesser mortals. Sometimes the magic comes in just getting started. If we expect the finished product to manifest too quickly we may get discouraged and give up when it does not. Goethe says to start what we can think of because the action of starting has power and magic in it. The problem comes when we are not clear about what we are doing, what our final work will be. That's where the magic of learning as we go comes in. Get a rough draft going. Get a rough draft of a rough draft. Get a rough draft of a part of the rough draft. Share what you have done with supportive people who will encourage you but also point out things you need to change or add. Also, don't be afraid to rehearse as many times as you need to. We are not born perfect nor are our creative endeavors perfect at first. Creative endeavors include more than poems, paintings or such. It can be a creative endeavor to work out how you are going to persuade someone of something. How you are going to approach a sales prospect. So if you have something you have wanted to do or bring about stop letting it stay in the shadows of "someday". Start working on it, even if your ideas are poorly formed. I have said that magic is well formed. It is but that well formedness may have to be developed. When you really have your head around what you want you will find that forces outside of yourself will help you move toward the manifestation of your desire. Reach out to the energy of the field of magic that is around you and start a rough draft of what you want to create. The rest will follow. May the spark be with you.