So, I’ve been messing around with this idea of creating content around “telling someone something before it’s too late.” It’s a pretty heavy theme, but I think it’s something a lot of people can relate to. I wanted to walk you through how I actually went about tackling this.
Brainstorming and Getting Ideas Down
First, I just started brainstorming. I grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down every single idea that popped into my head, no matter how silly or random it seemed. I thought about different scenarios:
- Confessing feelings to a long-time crush.
- Apologizing for a past mistake.
- Sharing a secret that’s been weighing you down.
- Telling someone how much they mean to you before, you know, it’s actually too late.
I ended up with a whole mess of notes. I even did some quick Google searches, just to see what other people were saying about the topic. But the key was just to get those raw thoughts down.
Picking a Specific Story
After the brainstorming free-for-all, I tried to narrow it down. I decided to focus on the “apologizing for a past mistake” angle. It felt more relatable to me, and I had a particular, totally made-up scenario in mind: a falling out between two best friends over something dumb, years ago.
Figuring out the “How”
Then, the tricky part: how to actually convey this “before it’s too late” feeling.I thought about a few different ways to do it. I was thinking that one of the friend is moving away forever.
Writing the First Draft (It Was Rough!)
Okay, time to write. I just started typing, not worrying too much about making it perfect. The first draft was, honestly, a total mess. It was clunky, the dialogue felt forced, and the emotional impact just wasn’t there. But, that’s okay! First drafts are supposed to be messy.
Rewriting, Rewriting, Rewriting
This is where the real work happened. I went back to that first draft and started hacking away at it. I rewrote entire scenes, changed the dialogue about a million times, and tried to really dig into the characters’ emotions. I’m sure I reread it to myself out loud. It’s super helpful.
Getting Feedback (and Bracing Myself)
Once I had something I was… kinda okay with… I sent it to a couple of friends. I specifically asked them to be brutally honest, and they were. They pointed out some parts that were still confusing, and they even had some suggestions for making the ending more impactful.
Final Tweaks and Polishing
I took their feedback, swallowed my pride, and made more changes. It was a lot of back-and-forth, tweaking little things here and there, until I finally felt like it was… done. Or, at least, as “done” as it was going to get.
So, that’s basically the whole, messy process. It definitely wasn’t a straight line, and there were plenty of moments where I felt like throwing my computer out the window. But, in the end, I think I managed to create something that, hopefully, captures that feeling of urgency and regret that comes with the theme of “telling someone something before it’s too late.” I even felt a little emotional while working on it, which is always a good sign, I guess!
