And said, “You know what we need over there? A big old pile of rocks. But not just any old pile, this one should be a pyramid. Bigger than any of those little bent pyramids like my grandpa had built.” Today, we still marvel at the Giza complex. None of that would’ve happened (Aliens notwithstanding) if not for a singular idea and the drive to see it to completion.
The same is true for us, maybe not pyramid building (but hey, if that’s your thing, go for it). I have a vision. Each day, I summon the will to make it a reality. For authors like me, that means sculpting that vision into words on the page. The vision may manifest in waves, first draft, revisions, and a final product. Eventually, the pyramid will reveal itself for all to see.
There are plenty of obstacles between the vision and the pyramid. Life comes up with lots of reasons not to add stones to the pile. The pile itself may need adjusting. The wind may be wrong for my writing mood on any given day. I have to push past all of that, make another deposit on the page, or revise what I’ve piled on before, until the monument can endure without me for millennia.
I don’t actually expect to build a pyramid on the page in my lifetime. My work may not even outlast my lifetime at all. But I intend to add to the pile, adjust as I see fit, until the best monument I can manage emerges. Even if nothing lasting comes from it, the effort will have been worthwhile to me.