cohesive creative

I live in a fairly creative house, creative being a codeword for messy. It actually was my dream and I have it. The more I write, the more scattered things become. Missed phone calls. Piles of laundry. Undone errands. Things start to stack up on my desk, and I start to read three books at once. (Okay, actually I'm always reading three books at once.) My husband is creative in business and management. (I know it sounds weird to purists, but he really is.) The more involved and thoughtful he becomes, especially when he's in the throws of building an organization as he is now, the tougher it is for him to keep anything else in mind. My daughter's art room--what would be a formal living room in most houses-- is filled with half-done pieces of art, strung beads and drawings turning into collages. My son's room has a massive, ongoing Star Wars battle and framed, unhung Beatles albums surround his drumset. Even my mom, who's visiting, keeps a cross-stitch project going on my dining room table. My car carries all sorts of items for play and creative camps: horseback riding helmet, foam noodles, paint shirts, and goggles. Every time I turn a corner, drumsticks roll and click beneath the seats. There're sketchings by my daughter and a notebook of music belonging to my son.

Messy.

And unfortunately, I'm messy within the process as well. Sketched-out plots with scribbles. A book full of random character notes. Printed pages of a labeled diagram of a church and the history of the Ruger. Untested threads and questions rambling through my head. THE SILVER SCAR is the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thought as I go to sleep. I'm on the verge of dreaming of it--when I know I've reached creative obsession. I wish I were more procedural in my creativity--I'm just not.

And yet there is some cohesion there, too, which is The Story. I suppose it will all come together at some point. It always does.

What does your process look like?