This evening's blog will be about the creative people, present and past, who inspire me. My problem with not writing as much as I should have over the past several years is not lack of talent. It is lack of drive and confidence in what I have to say. When I really get into the writing, I'm good. I'm damn good and when I really try, it gets noticed.
So why don't I try more? Distractions in the form of job stress, fatigue caused by the job, family activities, and again that gnawing feeling that it is not worth a crap. There lies the contradiction. Two sentences earlier I said I am good. Then I say I feel like I am not good. So the answer is BIC time. For non-writers that is Butt-In-Chair time. Just plant the rear in the chair for a set amount of time and don't allow it to come out of the chair until that time is up. This method has been proven successful again and again and again.
And many of these creative people knew this or know this. Though they had a passion for their art, they would not have been successful if the distractions of life got in the way.
Syd Barrett; Benny Andersson ; Bjorn Ulvaeus; Ansel Adams; John Lennon; Gene Roddenberry; Charles Dickens; the writer of the Christmas commercial for Salvation Army bell-ringers; and of course many many many more.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Want to Be More Productive Today
Beginning day two—okay so really this is day three. I began showing cold symptoms yesterday and when it came time to blog, my heart was up to it but my runny nose told me to go to bed. But I told my nose that it would not allow me to skip a day; I would have to blog twice tomorrow, which is now today.
I felt somewhat productive yesterday. I worked on the character conversation more. I say 'somewhat' because that did not add any words at all to the book itself. However, it's possible that it did add words—the stuff I worked on yesterday could end up in the book. More to be done today, but I want to only congratulate myself if I make actual progress on the book.
Another voice inside my head tells me that what I am doing here is actually progress. That voice reminds me that many days and weeks go by during which time absolutely nothing is written. A writer is supposed to write, right? And I am writing. The voice needs to remind me that many writers out there write only blogs and many of them are successful.
Hey, if I could add something to the book and begin work on the freelance stuff at the same time, then I would really feel productive.
I felt somewhat productive yesterday. I worked on the character conversation more. I say 'somewhat' because that did not add any words at all to the book itself. However, it's possible that it did add words—the stuff I worked on yesterday could end up in the book. More to be done today, but I want to only congratulate myself if I make actual progress on the book.
Another voice inside my head tells me that what I am doing here is actually progress. That voice reminds me that many days and weeks go by during which time absolutely nothing is written. A writer is supposed to write, right? And I am writing. The voice needs to remind me that many writers out there write only blogs and many of them are successful.
Hey, if I could add something to the book and begin work on the freelance stuff at the same time, then I would really feel productive.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Vacation Begins
I officially begin my vacation tomorrow. I have been off for the past three days, but one was a holiday and the other two were Saturday and Sunday. In some ways, I think this vacation will be too short. I relish the opportunity to not have to think about work and its problems until January 6. Yet that seems remarkably too soon. There are other events that need to be in our planning for January, but I don’t like thinking about that time, because then the vacation will be over.
However, I have learned recently to not dwell on the negatives as much. This was difficult for me as recently as a year or so ago. But either I am finally figuring out what many know, (and what many never figure out) that dwelling on negative thoughts does not do me any good. And worrying about the future totally screws up the present. So I will endeavor to live for the moment or at least try to. It’s hard to change a psyche that has been developed for 40+ years, but I feel I am closer to achieving that goal than ever before.
However, I have learned recently to not dwell on the negatives as much. This was difficult for me as recently as a year or so ago. But either I am finally figuring out what many know, (and what many never figure out) that dwelling on negative thoughts does not do me any good. And worrying about the future totally screws up the present. So I will endeavor to live for the moment or at least try to. It’s hard to change a psyche that has been developed for 40+ years, but I feel I am closer to achieving that goal than ever before.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)