Walk in the Woods
Vol IV: #25 Next Step In Organization
In August, I was content to dedicate time each day to “writing.” Then, when the hour approached, I settle into my chair and stare at the wall for ten minutes, wondering what I should do. Fortunately, this beginner’s approach worked, that is, until I had several half-finished projects on my shelf. And I hate a half-finished projects. Hate it.
In my mind, I’m failing at this writing thing. Not a full failure. I see the progress in my descriptions of people and places. And, I’m learning to build a story and cast a scene. But, my stories are not being written, or edited or refined. The novel continues to gather dust. And, I find I’d rather blog about the process or a life event than work on my stories.
Part of the problem is in my brain. For some reason, I make up rules for myself…that aren’t real. For example, I set timelines and “office hours,” as if I can’t write later in the day or at night. Another part of the problem is the general tread of failure- no need to expound on that for the 100th time. And the last problem I’m facing is organization, which I’ve bucked against like a true idiot.
It’s this last weakness I want to attack next. In August, I was content to dedicate time each day to “writing.” Then, when the hour approached, I settle into my chair and stare at the wall for ten minutes, wondering what I should do. Fortunately, this beginner’s approach worked, that is, until I had several half-finished projects on my shelf. And I hate a half-finished projects. Hate it.
Last week, while feeling overwhelmed and sad, I remembered an interview of a professional skater boarder/producer named Rob Dyrdek. In the interview he explained how he tracked all aspects of his day, and by doing so, improved his performance in the important areas of his life. Seconds later I turned off the interview. That’s stupid. Who needs to track their day to that level? Turns out, me. I do. Nik needs to track his day, to see the progress, and know his little boat is further upstream today than it was last week. The truth is I’m not going to finish my first novel until I set aside time to do so, likewise with editing and revisions. More intention and detail is better than less.
So, now, I will subdivide the hours into chunks: two hours for novel work, an hour for blogging, and an hour for review and edits. And I downloaded a free time clock to track my hours. I don’t expect to hit those numbers today, or even any day this week. The point is to continue to work and build my endurance. The goal is to hit those numbers by the end of the month, and if I do, November will be highly productive. And I don’t expect more organization to hold all the keys to success, but it’s part of the equation.