I’m really into Legos right now.

To be precise, I’m digging the small kits that perhaps take an hour or two to complete. I also possess a monstrous-sized Dungeons & Dragons kit that has sat around partially finished in my house for well over a year. What’s the difference?

Finishing a project feels so so good. Sure, if/when I ever get around to completing the whole D&D set, it’ll feel great. The next portion is making the owlbear and that excites me because it’ll feel like a win when done. Yet, I’m still drawn to working the smaller kits whenever I can get my grubby hands on them. Because I can see the end result faster. I get that dopamine hit sooner, and more frequently when I finish building the library ladder or the flower trellis.

This is why I enjoy writing essay and devotions, despite having three dozen novel ideas in my head. I can see a finished piece of work so much sooner. Is it lazy? Perhaps. Even so, short pieces of prose scratch that itch to create and satisfies the thirst for creating. Which is not to say I’m not presently working on the novel. I am! Really!

I’ve learned that I work best with having more modest writing goals, with an eye for the overall picture. The novel is like the huge 5000+ lego kit, where I can see the final product, but first I have to build mimic chests and taverns and owlbears. I give myself a small task for the day. “Today I need to write this scene with the main character and her depressed cousin.” That’s all. If I keep going onto the next scene or chapter, that’s great! But finishing the small task of the day’s item at hand gives me the same satisfaction as building a Lego tie-fighter.

At the end of the day, it’s the little things that stack up to one great big creation.