I have a gift for you. I told you about it a few weeks ago. It's the first novel in the Central Division thriller series: Beholder's Eye.
Beginning artists/creatives start by learning the basics.
Painters don't go from paint-by-number to Picasso or Bob Ross just by the snap of the fingers. It takes practice. Learn, and master, the basics. Then, you know where you can go creatively.
I've watched the Food Network for quite some time. I'm always amazed at how such simple ingredients and techniques can create such masterpieces. Again. Practice. Years and years of practice. Sure, talent has something to do with it. But you need to master the basics, to go from amateur kitchen cook to a full-blown master chef like Gordon Ramsey or Bobby Flay.
The same goes for musicians. When I was in my teens, I wanted to be a rock star. No kidding. But then again, isn't that every kid's dream when they're that age, to be a star of some kind? But I certainly couldn't start out by joining a garage band. I needed to learn the basics of whatever instrument I chose. In that case, it was the guitar. Once the basics were mastered, then one could move on to more collaborative work with a garage band. And even your most seasoned bands started out by playing in their garage for hours and hours on end, for years.
With writers it's no different. You need to practice writing. For years. You also need to read. Like musicians need to listen to music and painters need to study other painters, writers need to read.
Before an artist/creative can experiment in their craft, the basics need to be studied and mastered. That's what makes a master chef instead of a garden variety kitchen cook.
