“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” Vincent Van Gogh
In my writing workshops I often remind people that change is not easy or quick. If your character goes from a wimpy moisture farmer on page one to a Jedi knight by page ten, no one will believe it. Those types of larger changes are made up by a series of experiences and decisions that lead the character into being a different person and thus doing different things.
Create a bullet point timeline that list the kinds of things that may take a person from an untrusting loner to someone ready to love again. Or a cynical criminal into someone who is ready to fight for something larger than themselves.
Create a bullet point list for your own character- what small steps do they need to take?
Ready to blow your mind? This works for real people too- not just our imaginary friends. Who would you like to be as a creative at the end of 2023? What small steps can you make in the coming year to do that? Carve out more writing time? Take a class? Commit to improving a particular aspect of craft? Send out your novel? Today’s the day to lay that first tile piece.