Everyone has a method that works best for them to get things done.
For some, it is critical to have a plan detailing each step they will take. This keeps them on course and on task. For others, a basic outline serves as a guide without the detail. This allows them to stay on course but have some ability to explore with the added benefit of guide posts along the way. And then there are those free-spirited folks that just like to wing their way through.
But as C. S. Lewis so perfectly stated, “With the possible exception of the equator, everything begins somewhere.“
As a writer, I find that I tend to move within all three of these approaches depending on what I’m writing and how developed my idea is at the onset.
A bit like life.
What is clear is that, as C. S. Lewis reminded us, everything starts somewhere.
No matter what we’re doing. We have at least an idea of where we’re headed or why we’re embarking on the journey. That has always been the most influential element of value for me in any plan, regardless of the level of detail. There has to be an expected outcome for me to know how to begin.
When we begin with the end in mind, we can be confident that we will include everything essential to the desired outcome.
Think about building a house. You know you’re going to have different rooms, each fulfilling a different function. Because of these varying functions, you need to map out where the plumbing will be, where the electrical will be routed, where windows and doors will be necessary, and so on.
We, too, begin with the end in mind by having a plan, just as the builder uses the architect’s blueprint. That blueprint can be just an outline of the building’s footprint or elaborately drawn down to where the furniture will be placed.
In our lives, we serve as both architects and builders. How much to plan and how much room to leave for creativity remains a matter of preference for style and method.
A line from Lewis Carroll’s classic tale “Alice in Wonderland” often comes to mind when thinking about balancing the two best. There is a beginning and an end. What is between is the journey. Here it is in his words:
“The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. ‘Where shall I begin, please, your Majesty?’ he asked. ‘Begin at the beginning,’ the King said gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
That sounds like great advice. Where will you begin? Find your finish line, and you’ll know!
