Ben B

I am a puzzle with thousands of pieces. I begin by dumping them all out in my mind, and staring at what appears to be a never-ending heap of words and ideas. I begin to sort them together in different ways; starting around the edges and building in, or, perhaps choosing one specific spot to begin and branching off from there. Sometimes, just as it begins to look like a full picture, one vital piece is missing. Did I completely leave one of my key points out? Did I forget to use that perfect line I thought of earlier? It doesn't matter at this point, because I've pushed it all on the floor, back to the drawing boards. This process may take place multiple times, and my writing is hopefully evolving through all this creation and destruction. Finally, I'm on the right track, beginning from the precise angle and mindset I need to put all the pieces together correctly. It's a slow progression, but it's completely worth it in the end. As I put the finishing pieces of words and correct grammatical marks into the puzzle, I step back for a brief second to admire the tedious process that produced my satisfying creation.

Photo by Andrew Malone