Change of Plans/Schedule: Write More
Oct 23rd, 2008 by Carlos
What’s that famous quote about insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Well, I’ve complained repeatedly about how I haven’t written enough fiction because of the time I put into this blog, so I’ve decided to try something I did briefly a few months ago. Instead of waking up each morning and dilly-dallying around, responding to every email I get, checking yesterday’s scores, and so on—I’m going to focus a little bit more and get more done.
If I do that, I can hammer out at least two posts per morning (maybe more), leaving me with the next morning to write fiction. Theoretically, it should work, though I need to fine tune some things to make it happen:
- Preparation: I prepared for this morning last night by listing out what I was going to write about and when I was going to publish it. It really doesn’t take that long to do if you already have the idea mapped out or at least jotted down somewhere. It can even help expand on them by giving your unconscious some time to mull it all over. The next day you may have even more to say/contribute to that idea. Either way, it’s just like having a short-term goal for the next morning and then going out and meeting it. It all starts with preparation.
- Focus: This used to be easy because I used to go to a coffee shop to write and, believe it or not, it was easy to focus. All I had was a pen and paper and if I was really stuck, I’d take my book out and read a little. Always worked. But now I’m writing from home (no coffee shop close) and the Internet beckons with it’s box scores and blogs. As long as I can keep it all to a minimum (or write first and then do that stuff), I’ll be OK. Today is easy enough because it’s day one, but I have to keep it up.
- Follow through: Like I said, today is easy. Sticking to it day after day is going to be challenging. If anyone has any tips on this one aspect, feel free. I have a history of lagging as time passes. How many books have I quit this year already?
That’s the idea, anyway. I know what the problem is (not writing enough/any fiction) and I know what the solution is (write more fiction)—now I’ve set up a system that will hopefully work and resolve the problem. The next step? Finding a way to write fiction every day (a necessity, believe me) and still write decent stuff for this blog.
Stay tuned…
Hey man,
Really enjoy the blog.
I’ve found that setting aside 15-30min a day, dedicated solely to writing helps a lot. You may not create a blog entry everyday, but it gets you into the rhythm of writing more frequently. And from there it’s a lot easier to start writing for longer periods of time where you’ll begin to see greater returns.
Were you in the urbanathlon race this past weekend?