stringing moments together

On a superficial level, the process of creating anything—such as writing a book—is done in one small bit after another, stringing the beads along on a cord to make a necklace.

To move this creative work into being, I just have to put one more word down.

Then another.

One word at a time.

One word after another.

Repeat.

Sometimes the words come fast and sometimes I have to tug on them to come along, but it doesn’t change the fact that unless you’re copying and pasting large sections of someone else’s writing, everyone writes books one word at a time.

Everyone does everything one bit at a time. One letter on a keyboard, one drive down the street, one minute on the treadmill, one bite of food.

We live life one moment at a time. One second at a time. One minute, one hour, one day.

Then we look back—and voila, there’s a book!

Or a life.