Plan B

I find that when I plan things out, I have to have a plan B “just in case.” There’s always a curve ball that comes our way that disrupts plan A or makes me question it. Especially when I’m writing, I’ll start to deviate from plan A due to new ideas that come along. Or I might realize that the ideas I originally started with became less interesting as time went on.

This could apply to other things too, such as event planning, room decoration, or a wish-list of the things we want to buy. When planning an event, everything could go as planned until the weather brings an unexpected storm, or if the temperature becomes unbearable during the summer or winter seasons. With room decoration, it could be the fact that a piece of furniture is too small or too big compared to what we originally planned, since it always looks different in person, especially in the room that it’s in. And with the things on our to-buy wishlist, when we’re about to add it to our cart online or go to the store to get it, it could be sold out or the sale could unexpectedly be over.

That’s when plan B has to be put into motion. Sometimes it could be better than our original plan, since it was the one that was less expensive or more practical than plan A. Our first plan is usually the one that we become attached to, the one we don’t want to change or modify since we put so much thought and time into it. Plan B winds up in the back of our mind as a result, something that isn’t our first choice because it doesn’t have everything we want. But sometimes what we want can wind up backfiring, since it’s chosen for sentimental or aesthetic reasons than for what fits our budget or the needs of our goal, whether that’s an event, room decoration, or the things we want to buy.

In terms of writing, it’s usually the case that plan B is just one of many plans that happen to show up during the creative process. There’s a plan C that makes a surprise entrance, and a plan D, a plan E, etc. When making art, it’s a process that is continuously evolving and ever-changing beyond what we imagined or originally intended. The plans we make for them are more like rough sketches that can be erased and changed rather than a fixed blueprint that we must stick to no matter what.