Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, advice, Motivation, quotes on April 24, 2021| 1 Comment »
I ran across this bit of text and don’t remember its origins. I *think* I wrote it as a summary after watching one of Carol Dweck’s TED talks on learning and the growth mindset, but I can’t be sure (apologies if I missed the author). Still seems like good advice.
A motivation problem is solved by thinking (convincing yourself that something is important). A follow-through problem is solved by not thinking (don’t deliberate, just act).
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, ideas, Motivation, projects, quotes, Spring, work on April 8, 2021| Leave a Comment »
“Spring is the time of plans and projects.”
― Leo Tolstoy
* * *
If only it were that simple!
Photos by Gabriel Jimenez, Markus Spiske, Tobias Stonjeck
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #crapweek, Motivation, paradox of choice, weird, writing on March 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »
It’s been a weird week.
I’d planned something else for today’s post but the website I needed is down. Or just hates me, which is the same thing.
Instead, let’s talk about motivation. And how I don’t have any at the moment. I’m a little stuck when it comes to writing, and while other work is getting done, on that front I’m just… stuck.
I’m sure I’m not alone, and it can help to remember that.
* * *
I’m reading, way too much. Not possible, you say? Well, honestly, I’d agree you most of the time. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love to read (thanks, parental units!). It serves me well most of the time, and of course you have to read well in order to write well.
Input is good but there must be output as well. And right now the balance is a bit off.
* * *
I am hesitant. That’s a fairly accurate word for it, I think. Asking which direction to go, what steps to take, what story to tell? It’s called the paradox of choice, as in, having too many options makes it harder to make a decision, not easier. This concept is typically applied to decisions about things like breakfast cereals, but it works here too.
So, what to do?
Maybe I’ll limit myself to a certain genre, or length, or story model. Or maybe I’ll make a rule to follow. (I actually like doing that, it does make life much easier. As in, Monday, Wednesday, Friday I work out. No questions, no time spent planning, no wasted brain power trying to wiggle out of it;)
* * *
It helps that today is Friday, that most wondrous of days. Mr. Man will be home soon and there will be laughter and warmth and frosty adult beverages for all. And so long as I keep moving, keep doing, keep trying, I’ll still make progress. Even when things get weird:)
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, creativity, Motivation, productivity on March 2, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Today, do something amazing.
…
And the more I learn about creativity, productivity, and motivation, the more I realize that the most important word in that sentence is “today.”
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Posted in Other, tagged #ThingsILike, inspiration, Motivation, quotes, Thoughts on March 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.
— Abraham Lincoln
Posted in Writing, tagged creativity, Fiction, fun, Motivation, persistence, short stories, snow, speculative fiction, Thoughts, winter, work, Writers, writing, yay on January 24, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Right now I’m all about WIPs, or works in progress, in writing and other arenas. (Ironically, I started this post days weeks a while ago and then skipped over it to wrap up November with the NaNoMakeMo post. Now we’re back to this post in progress:)
I haven’t wanted to post much here because my day-to-day isn’t necessarily all that interesting, so I like to have something interesting to say. And the middle of anything can feel… well, just average. It can be tough talking about works in progress.
For example, what did you do today? Got up, hit the treadmill, worked on a story, did some research, switched from the treadmill desk to the standing desk and worked on the day job. Periodically took breaks to do things like make a bunch of sous vide egg cups, wash a million plastic bags**, or hit the workshop.
Speaking of the workshop, part of why my writing project is taking longer than I’d like is that I’m dividing my attention. You may remember I put up a post about the “exciting creative synergies inherent in cross-media productivity” or something like that;) Still true, at least for me, but spreading one’s attention does tend to slow things down, at least that’s how it’s working out for me. It’s like doing a dual major instead of just one. The prep takes forever but in the end, it will all be worth it (right? here’s hoping!).
***
In writing:
I’ve been working on a longer-form piece and don’t have much to say about it, honestly, except “Hey, still working on that novella!” and “It’s going to suuuuper great when I get it done but, well, it’s not done yet” “Yep, this is taking freaking forever!” and “I’m past the bit with the donuts but now I’m stuck at the part with the walk-in freezer. Honestly, who has a walk-in freezer in space, anyway?” (answer, me:).
I was going to put up a shot of my writing file, but I don’t want you to see all the highlighting and bold text meaning “this word choice is terrible and/or completely out of place and/or if she was wearing a spacesuit in the last scene, how can she be rubbing her face in this bit?, fix it or else!”*
Here’s a shot of a lake in winter instead. From inside, because it was -29C, people!
***
In wood:
I made a handle for a friend’s fishing pole (you may remember my adventures in deepwater lake trout fishing from a ways back; it involves metal line and requires a sturdy handle, and his wasn’t). Well, I’ve actually made two so far and I’m finishing up a third. Practice is good for skill development, of course, and I want to keep going until I have a product I’m happy with. The proportions of the first version weren’t quite what I wanted (Mr. Man likes it, but I wanted to try again), the second has a potential weak spot (and again), but the third looks just right.
***
Maybe there’s value in sharing the tedium as well as the highs, the work that goes on behind the scenes so that you know it’s not just you. I’m just a regular Jolene, plugging away at something that makes me happy (most of the time, anyway:). If you think a thing is worth doing, and you’re learning and improving and it’s helping you be the person you want to become (unless that person is unpleasant and/or criminal, just saying), go ahead. Make the effort. I’ll do my best to enjoy all the days, average or not.
So let’s rewrite this experience of “in progress” or the “dreaded middle.” I’m not done yet, but I am rounding the corner. What’s my goal? What’s in the way? How can I break it down to make what’s left more manageable?
I love crossing things off a list. So satisfying! To that end, I’ve started listing each project on a piece of paper and break it down into component parts. Like so:
The big stack on the left are completed goals. Everything else is in progress, including “The Secret Life of Henchman #3” and “make a bed of nails.” Because that’s how I roll:)
***
(interjection from the future, which is now, but was later, then)
The space pirate story has a beginning (two, actually, must fix that) and an end, and it’s ready for next steps. No one died.
/ahem
Allow me to rephrase.
No one died who didn’t absolutely deserve it.
Here’s hoping your year is starting off well. Or at the very least, better than Henchman #3’s!
***
* Still, here’s a bit I find amusing: “The difference between us is that I will actually call you a ride. The fact that they’ll come bearing handcuffs is your own damn fault.”
** I hate washing plastic bags. I like the fact that it keeps waste out of landfills and encourages a reuse mindset, but the process of washing and drying bags is just ridiculous, awkward, messy and inefficient. The whole time I’m chanting to myself, “There has to be a better way.” If you know of one, feel free to share!
Posted in Funny, tagged #thebalance, funny, home, Motivation, persistence, Thoughts on January 22, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Ever have one of those days where it seems like everything goes a little wonky? I think of it as The Balance.
***
Many item drops in video games are randomized but still seem to follow a pattern. It’s as if “randomness” is spread over a thousand rolls of the dice, and has to balance out in the end. So if you’ve gone days without getting a decent drop, suddenly you get three great items. Or if things have been going your way, you get a sudden run of bad luck.*
I find this happens in real life too. Some days everything goes perfectly, but other days?
Not so much.
Some days, if there’s a cord to trip over, I trip. If there’s a remote to drop, it’s dropped. And if the cat decides to get into the closet and eat dry cleaning bags, you can be sure that any effort to stop said behavior will result in a catastrophe of much greater proportions.
Like what, you might ask? Like thwacking one’s head against the treadmill desk holding your breakfast smoothie and having it all come tumbling down.
Everywhere. On everything. And then spending the next two hours cleaning it up.**
That was no fun but it’s actually kind of nice to have such things concentrated into one day. At least you know it’s coming and can prepare accordingly.
The Balance. It’s not real, but it might be true;)
(As an added bonus, now I know how to disassemble my treadmill:)
***
* I know this isn’t how randomness and statistics work, I’m just saying that some days, that’s how it feels.
** Someone needs to investigate the usefulness of chia seeds’ gel coating for adhesive. So sticky!
Posted in Writing, tagged 2019, creativity, JK Rowling, Motivation, persistence, quotes, Thoughts, work, Writers, writing on January 17, 2019| 1 Comment »
Ahem. It’s not you, it’s me.
You may have noticed that I haven’t posted much lately. Part of that is the inevitable press of other work but before November 2016 I managed. The last couple of years have been harder. Too many distractions. Too much uncertainty. Too much crazy.
Something had to give, and you’ve seen the results in my absence here. (Sadly, I’m not alone.)
That said, I’m still working, still thinking, still writing. Still coming up with things I’d like to post, if I could just find the mental space and time.
When it comes to this blog, I’ve realized something important. The more it helps me do my work, the more I’ll write, here and elsewhere.
***
New plan. Let’s see if I can siphon off the ideas and thoughts that are spinning around in my head. If I can put them down here, I may be able to focus more on work to be done, and on new projects for the future.
“I use the Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one’s mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one’s leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form.”
— Albus Dumbledore
***
Buckle up, it might get weird:)
Posted in Likes, Other, Writing, tagged #NaNoMakeMo, #ThingsILike, creativity, Fiction, foodz, fun, home, inspiration, Motivation, nanowrimo, Thoughts, woodturning, work, Writers, writing, yay on December 3, 2018| 1 Comment »
So, November.
/vroom!
Yeah. Like that.
November is (of course!) National Novel Writing Month. I’ve taken part for the past however many years, and it has been fun. I laugh, I write, I cry, I win. Then I collapse in a mostly useless heap for the next many weeks. The holidays don’t help post-NaNo productivity, of course, but I don’t know that a draining push to write write write write does either. I’m looking for sustainable output.
I’m also distracted this year. As mentioned, I’ve taken up woodworking and it’s fun. I like the challenge, I like the creativity and idea generation, the inevitable roadblocks, problem-solving, and the triumphant conclusion.
It’s a lot like writing, actually, only with more finished product and results that don’t depend on the vagaries of editorial preference.
So this November, I decided to do something a little different. Instead of NaNoWriMo, I opted for NaNoMakeMo.
Me, one month, making stuff, with the definition of “stuff” being flexible. Words, wood, whatever. I’m one of those people who can be well and truly stuck on one project but super productive on another. As long as I’m working on whatever my secret brain wants to pay attention to, much gets done.
I decided to use this quirk to my advantage. It’s a classic productivity trick called structured procrastination. I may have mentioned it here before.
The first rule is there are no rules.
Write, turn, bake, sew, whatever. The goal is what’s important, not how to get there, and for November the goal was simple: Make more stuff.
I pulled on my big girl work clothes and got to it.
/insert 30 days of work work work work work.
/ok, fine, I didn’t work all 30 days
/some days I sat inside by the fire and read, because winter and cold and snow, people!
* * *
So how did the first inaugural NaNoMakeMo go?
My original plan was to post updates (with photos and witty commentary even!) as I went along, sharing each and every project through the twists and turns of the creative process. When that didn’t happen, I decided to make an awesome advent calendar-style image map linking all of the awesome into one aesthetically-pleasing package.
Yeah, that didn’t work out. Images and updates take time. Thinking about how to frame a project takes time. Stepping back from the desk or workbench or computer takes time and also the sort of mental space I don’t always have when I’m mid-stream. And the interweb informs me that image maps have been out of style Like For Ever.
Too bad, I was going to use this fun image. It pretty much sums up my month.
Instead you get this uber post. Also, I made this list.
(Yes, that’s my list handwriting. It is both teeny tiny and impossible to read, or so I’ve been told. I have no trouble with it at all. Let me just get a magnifying glass;)*
* * *
So how did it go? Pretty well, actually.
I got a lot done on a lot of different projects, which I find very satisfying. Rather than feel I’ve ignored much of life in order to focus on one dimension, writing, I’ve made progress on multiple fronts.
For evidence of same, please see Exhibit A (note: some projects have been excluded in the interest of maintaining holiday-related surprises;)
I made things, I broke things, I learned more about what to do and what not. Yay:)
* * *
What would I change? Next time I might plan a bit more. Fifty thousand words is a little nuts but having a target helps your aim, you know? Goals and also alternatives, for when the old attention span is minimal and absolutely everything looks interesting except the work on the desk. Maybe I’ll list the different possibilities on little pieces of paper and keep them in a jar for when I need to pull out a new project.
(Teeny tiny lists on teeny tiny scraps of paper, in a Swedish glass jar. Because that’s how I roll, and if there’s one benefit to the passing years, it’s figuring out new ways to work around my own crazy:)
In sum: NaNoMakeMo may be a less dramatic way to approach creativity than NaNoWriMo but it’s also, at least for me, more sustainable. And in the end, a productive, constructive life is the true goal.
And so I declare the inaugural NaNoMakeMo a pretty not-bad success. Here’s hoping you enjoyed your month too!
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* The point usually isn’t the reading. It’s about thinking, and the process of sketching out an idea or problem helps me think it through. I find that works best when I’m scribbling on the back of some envelope, or a scrap bit of paper or the corner of a random flyer. Who says no one uses the mail anymore?
