The Creative Process: Hope, Hesitation and a Daniele Bolelli Headlock.

I finished my third novel and the first novel of a YA Trilogy called My Last Friends on Earth. It was a tough but fulfilling process and yet it may have left me a little...hesitant? Gun shy, even—writing wise? Stephen King writes in months. I write in years. But I finished the book long ago and I haven't yet sent it out to agents or publishers, or self-published (and I'm a two-time novelist).

Isabella, the daughter of my great and brilliant friend Daniele Bolelli (author, historian, podcaster) loved the book—she, like her dad, is also hyper-smart and talented, with a wow. A few other kids in cities across the globe (London, LA and Vancouver) have also loved the book. So Daniele told me I had to send it out to publishers / agents by the first week in September or I was a loser. He didn't say the last part but I felt it in his voice (see the photo below to see how he can get when he's in a mood).

I told Daniele I would send the book out and launch my website / YouTube channel at the same time. Well, the website and YouTube Channel are launched (two days ago, hurray for me, and the numbers are exploding into the multi-tens) but I haven't yet sent the book out and it's the second week in October. Oh the shame!

Can you relate? Shame's a stinker. Is there a creative job nagging your brain—a job creative or administrative that you're just not taking care of? If so, don't judge yourself too harshly. Try to get to it...or figure out what's holding you back. No, don't figure it out. Just get to it.

In other words, Pete, stop hesitating unless you're crossing the road and cars are coming.

I'm not entirely sure what's holding me back. See? I'm trying to figure it out. Hardly anything used to hold me back, not even anxiety.

Caption: My dear friend Daniele Bolelli, choking the hell out of another friend—all as a way to tell me I'm next if I don't send that book out. Look at those assassin eyes. He just got his black belt in judo. What a mensch.

Will I send ye olde manuscript out? I will. What I'm trying to do is build a presence on social media by inspiring you creatively. This week will see me focussing on that one key word I mention in my first YouTube video, continuing with the videos for the YouTube Channel and overcoming creative and creative business procrastinations and fears. How about you? Can you relate? If so, check out my website etc. and let me know—and know I am with you in some kind of cosmic creative solidarity. Go for it. Be the example you hope to be and wish I was. Isn't that what Gandhi said?

Onwards! We will create.

Pete

The opening chapters of the book My Last Friends on Earth are here. It's YA, so if you read it and you're old, pretend you're young. It's good for the cells, I hear.

A Creative Dilemma: Oh the irony!

I've finally launched this website and a YouTube Channel on how to inspire your creativity and, well...the first video talks about the one word all writing geniuses believe in, and I realized I am suffering from that one pesky word with regards to my second novel of the trilogy. How frustratingly ironic! Art imitates life: mine. I didn't realize I was missing that one crucial word when I made the video. It doesn't end there but I've got a plan: to find that one word. Check out the video, find out the one word, and see if you can relate.

Either way, keep creating!

How I hope to write tomorrow. Fast motion.

Lighting Your Artistic Creative Process on Fire

That's one of my dreams and for the record I don't sleep well. In the next hour or two, I'll start posting ideas, tips, prompts, videos and books all about the artistic creative process, mine and yours—novel writing, screenplays, songwriting, non fiction, filmmaking and highland dance, possibly. There will be no highland dance. I live in the lowlands. I plan to enjoy doing it. The conversations, interviews and lesson ideas will be on my blog and most actively on my youtube page here. My bio is here to prove, if nothing else, I'm not a robot. My website is here. May it inspire your talent and dreams. If you have any questions, write me. Talk soon and welcome.

This is me writing a song, wishing we were collaborating—all while thinking about my next novel, book 2 of a trilogy, My Last Friends on Earth (here's an excerpt from Book 1) and a documentary I'm hopefully directing in 2022 on the history of the mega franchise Star Trek and its inimitable creator, Gene Roddenberry. Hey, Shatner just went into space! Multi-tasking is challenging. So is launching a website and a YouTube channel. But inspiring your artistic creativity (and mine) is my dream and worth it. Let's go.