So my secret is out. I’m a huge Project Runway junkie. I can’t get enough of it. While I was watching it the other day, I guess my subconscious was trying to tell me that I should be writing instead of watching t.v. because I could not stop comparing participating in the show to writing a novel.
Here are my comparisons:
- Start with a plan. The designers that don’t have at least some idea of where they’re going before heading off to Mood to buy fabrics usually waste valuable time trying to figure out what to do with what they’ve got. Writing is much the same way. You dive in to an idea or a character without knowing where you want to go and then you spend a significant amount of time backtracking.
- Edit, edit, edit. Having too much bling on your garment will generate a lot of negative criticism from the judges. Having too many useless words, characters, scenes, subplots, etc will generate negative criticism from agents and publishing houses.
- Don’t over-think it. 9 out of 10 times, the designer who over-thinks his/her design gets the boot, or at least ends up in the bottom 3. If you over-think your writing, chances are you won’t end up in the bottom or anywhere else for that matter because you will not have a finished product. Over-thinking something can be the death of creativity. Of course, putting zero thought into something is equally as bad, if not worse. See my first point in the list.
- And, most importantly, to directly quote Tim Gunn, “Make it work.” If you love your idea and you believe in it, then do whatever it takes to make it work.
