My Magnum Opus

I have chosen to “guard” my magnum opus from the eyes of the world until it is complete. I rarely take it to critique groups. I rarely discuss it with other writers. In fact, I work hard at making sure nobody has the opportunity to reject or criticize it. (I won’t even tell you what my magnum opus is.) This frees me up to really let my creative side create. I try not to let myself worry that if what I’m writing is any good or not. I just try to say what I really, really want to say. I’m doing my best as I can at this moment in time, and that’s enough.

My greatest friend for my magnum opus had been and still is my outline. (Remember how I took three full months to develop it?) As I come across new information or get new ideas, I quickly open my outline and plug that information into the right spot. And when I eventually get to that spot ready to write that page of the manuscript, I’ll find that idea or bit of information there in the outline waiting for me. After two years of working on my magnum opus, my outline is now over 200 pages. It allows my project to grow over the years with me as I am growing as a writer.

And growing I am! Somehow I’m different since I started working on my magnum opus. I feel a maturity as a writer I never truly felt before. I know I’m doing something important. I know I’m working on something worthwhile. I know I have self-worth as a writer.