What do you make of it in the world of freelance writing when a client goes from enthusiastic communication loving your work and wanting more....
to total radio silence, so-to-speak?
Panic
Obviously you did something wrong and they hate you now. They probably spend hours throwing darts at pictures they imagine look like you rather than do a quick check in to say what is going on and if they are going to continue to use your work. Make sure you have a stack of paper lunch sacks nearby to hyperventilate into. Likely you'll blow through a few of them while you decide your next move. Maybe you should contact them five or six times in the next hour, just to let them know how much you love working for them. If you need to cry, don't do it on the keyboard as it could short out.
Obsess Over the Details of the Last Thing You Gave Them
Did you have spelling errors? Probably. Could that one sentence have been more tightly written? Definitely. Remember, everything can be done better, especially your last project. It may be too late to turn in a new version, but that doesn't mean the worrying and obsessing about what has been done should stop. In fact, it's time to ramp those doubts up to ten on the worry scale! Stop being satisfied that you did your best and start really considering what it means to fail. The closing ideas you had for a review? That was probably terrible. You transitions from one point to the next? Those were also likely abysmal. Don't even get started thinking about your usage of commas. Not only did you more than likely screw that up, but the client is likely sharing your travesty of comma use around the office and with total strangers.
Count Your Failures
The age old adage about "Counting your blessings" is a lie, and you know it. So why not count up your failures instead? No, I'm not talking about that last assignment or job offer you tried out for. I am talking about everything that you can possibly remember that you failed at. Your choice to have spaghetti the other day was a disaster from the get go and you know it. That time you thought about leaving your "safe" Joe job to pursue your dreams? What a mistake that turned out to be, right? In high school, yes, they really were all looking at you and wondering why another human being would comb their hair and dress that way. That time in kindergarten when you colored outside the lines? Yes, even that can be counted against you when it comes to the failure tally. You need to dig deep when it comes to this one. Think hard now, do you remember those first steps you took as a baby? You can be pretty sure your parents hung their heads in shame when your diapered duff hit the floor before you even managed to plant one foot in front of the other.
Right about now you should be in the fetal position sucking your thumb.
Never Try Anything Ever Again
Don't do anything ever again. No, not don't do anything new. Tons of people never do anything new each and every day. It's time to consider total inertia as an option for your future. Doubtless your client's failure to respond mean that think a rock could have done a better job writing what you turn in, and maybe it is time to stop thinking of all you can accomplish and time to start thinking of how living as a solid state block of matter can help you avoid future disappointments.
Remember, you can't do well all the time. So embrace the mediocrity and failure that has come to pass.
Unless the client just made simple mistake and still loves your work, but didn't have time to get back to you. In which case, you're totally fine and can ignore the advice previously given.
Showing posts with label discipline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discipline. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
5 Ways Writing is Like Cooking
Burnt toast tops my list for one of the most foul smells in the entire world. I'm sure we've all burned our fair share and screwed up things more than just toast in the kitchen. The smell got me thinking, mostly about burnt toast, but also how writing can often times remind me of cooking. Some of the basic principals in cooking are applicable to writing, especially if you are into the whole "let's make a food analogy because I'm hungry" genre of writing. Well I sure as heck am! Kidding aside, there are some times that I feel much of what I have learned in cooking can apply to my work as a writer. So without further flan--er, flare, here are Five Ways Writing is Like Cooking:
Don't Be Afraid to Get Dirty
One of the first things I had to learn about cooking was that I was going to get dirty in the process. Flour would be everywhere; dishes would pile up; and my hands were likely to get everything from frosting to chicken goop/blood on them. It was a hard fact to face. Well, this happens in writing too. Sometimes you might have to work in circumstances that are not ideal, not what you want, and not what you expect. You can't always be sipping soda and writing away on your laptop in some food joint. You won't always get to have that afternoon to yourself where you just ponder what to do next with your characters. You won't always be "feeling up to" doing what needs to be done. Much like cooking, you've got to get in and do the sometimes dirty work of writing when you are not comfortable. Sometimes writing like is baking fresh cookies (right from the pre-made pack, all nice and easy like); but other times it means you have a long afternoon ahead of you just to get one thing done. You have to also be ready to pull out a notepad and write ideas, character arcs, and dialogue on the fly. If an idea sounds like it would add zest to a story, but you aren't in your comfort zone--too bad, you've got to pull out that pad and write. It may look messy, you may have a lot more editing to do than if you were working on a computer, but it is just a part of the process.
Try New Flavors
No matter how appealing a recipe might sound, no matter how easy it might seem; sometimes it is hard to make yourself try something new in the kitchen. Similarly, sometimes you might have an idea for a character, plot arc, or story direction that sounds appealing, but will likely lead you in a direction you aren't entirely sure you want to go. Now, to be true, sometimes you might throw out an idea which immediately sounds like the liver and onions equivalent in the writing world. Nice for some, but just not for you. However, you might get something that sounds like a complicated seafood recipe. You aren't sure if the "flavor" or idea will really pan out. It might be an idea that you end up liking and want to follow through, but are not sure if you have the "umph" to follow it through. Whatever the case, don't be afraid to take a risk and try something new. In order for your story to be different, to have those things that set it apart; you need to be ready to try out some things which you may not be used to.
Don't Indulge in Too Much Junk Food
Okay, so this might seem like a stretch when it comes to the analogy game, but hear me out. There are some characters and scenes that are like the best junk food on the planet. Much like a bag of your favorite chips, sometimes characters and scenes come along and you just want to let loose and keep going back for more. Does this character's scene advance the story or move the plot or grow him? Nope, and who cares! More of this please! Who wouldn't want the Snape to keep insulting Harry for pages on end? What's a few more arrows and battering rams at Helm's Deep? And what about how in Game of Thrones...well, you get the point. Scenes and characters you love to write can be fun, but if you spend too much time with them, you fatten up the story without adding anything of benefit. I grant you I would have loved it if the Riddle Game from The Hobbit would have kept going, but I also know that if it went on too long it would have been the most dull scene in the book instead of the one of the most interesting ones. Cut yourself off before you have a mess to work off in editing. Speaking of which...
Clean Up When Done
Yep, when all the work is done, and the food is made, who gets to clean up the mess left behind? That's right, you do. Same principal applies here. Edits...*sigh* Yes, one of the words we as writers most hate to hear about. Editing and cleaning up after cooking just seem to go hand in hand, don't they? You know the end product is, and will be something good. You've already put in so much effort to produce something awesome, and then you realize there is still more work to do, and it is a whole lot less fun than the process of actually making something original. "But what if I just order a pizza? Won't clean up be a snap? Ha! I've picked apart your analogy in one fell swoop!" You know what I say to that? "Stop trying to stall and act all clever! Get back to editing!"
Sometimes You Spend All Day Making a Mistake
The last part of this analogy might be the hardest for you to hear. I joked about ordering out for pizza in the last point, but I've had to do just that before. I have had cooking mistakes that I realized as I was finishing up had just went completely sideways and tasted awful. Along those lines, you can write for hours and hours, spend a whole day working on something...only to churn out something in the end you realize is not just average or passable, but is like that burnt toast I told you about in the beginning. Sometimes you have to throw out all your hard work and start from scratch or go with something basic that will suit the needs of what you are writing. Sometimes you put in a whole lot of effort crafting a dish, or a scene, and have zilch to show at the end. If only writing were as easy as getting that pizza. "I'd like an order of plot please, heavy on the character development with a side of bread sticks." (Because you should always get a side of bread sticks with anything.) Now, this isn't to say that you should be afraid to start over or that backtracking doesn't happen. Sometimes I've arrived at the end of a chapter and realized that everything prior to the last sentence just won't work at all. But I started over because I had to. Or I chopped out what wasn't working and put something simple, yet sustaining in it's place. Sometimes I suspect we wish we could just leave that hole in the story just as much as we wish we could skip a meal. But in the end something has to be done.
As you might be able to tell, I love and hate cooking. Much in the same way I love and hate writing at times. However, as much as I need food, I need to keep on writing. I know at times analogies like the one I have written here can seem silly, or over-wrought, but I hope it has helped you. I suspect that for both of us writing, much like food, is a sustaining and nourishing thing. We need it in our lives to keep us going.
Well, time for a snack.
And a bit of writing, of course.
Don't Be Afraid to Get Dirty
One of the first things I had to learn about cooking was that I was going to get dirty in the process. Flour would be everywhere; dishes would pile up; and my hands were likely to get everything from frosting to chicken goop/blood on them. It was a hard fact to face. Well, this happens in writing too. Sometimes you might have to work in circumstances that are not ideal, not what you want, and not what you expect. You can't always be sipping soda and writing away on your laptop in some food joint. You won't always get to have that afternoon to yourself where you just ponder what to do next with your characters. You won't always be "feeling up to" doing what needs to be done. Much like cooking, you've got to get in and do the sometimes dirty work of writing when you are not comfortable. Sometimes writing like is baking fresh cookies (right from the pre-made pack, all nice and easy like); but other times it means you have a long afternoon ahead of you just to get one thing done. You have to also be ready to pull out a notepad and write ideas, character arcs, and dialogue on the fly. If an idea sounds like it would add zest to a story, but you aren't in your comfort zone--too bad, you've got to pull out that pad and write. It may look messy, you may have a lot more editing to do than if you were working on a computer, but it is just a part of the process.
Try New Flavors
No matter how appealing a recipe might sound, no matter how easy it might seem; sometimes it is hard to make yourself try something new in the kitchen. Similarly, sometimes you might have an idea for a character, plot arc, or story direction that sounds appealing, but will likely lead you in a direction you aren't entirely sure you want to go. Now, to be true, sometimes you might throw out an idea which immediately sounds like the liver and onions equivalent in the writing world. Nice for some, but just not for you. However, you might get something that sounds like a complicated seafood recipe. You aren't sure if the "flavor" or idea will really pan out. It might be an idea that you end up liking and want to follow through, but are not sure if you have the "umph" to follow it through. Whatever the case, don't be afraid to take a risk and try something new. In order for your story to be different, to have those things that set it apart; you need to be ready to try out some things which you may not be used to.
Don't Indulge in Too Much Junk Food
Okay, so this might seem like a stretch when it comes to the analogy game, but hear me out. There are some characters and scenes that are like the best junk food on the planet. Much like a bag of your favorite chips, sometimes characters and scenes come along and you just want to let loose and keep going back for more. Does this character's scene advance the story or move the plot or grow him? Nope, and who cares! More of this please! Who wouldn't want the Snape to keep insulting Harry for pages on end? What's a few more arrows and battering rams at Helm's Deep? And what about how in Game of Thrones...well, you get the point. Scenes and characters you love to write can be fun, but if you spend too much time with them, you fatten up the story without adding anything of benefit. I grant you I would have loved it if the Riddle Game from The Hobbit would have kept going, but I also know that if it went on too long it would have been the most dull scene in the book instead of the one of the most interesting ones. Cut yourself off before you have a mess to work off in editing. Speaking of which...
Clean Up When Done
Yep, when all the work is done, and the food is made, who gets to clean up the mess left behind? That's right, you do. Same principal applies here. Edits...*sigh* Yes, one of the words we as writers most hate to hear about. Editing and cleaning up after cooking just seem to go hand in hand, don't they? You know the end product is, and will be something good. You've already put in so much effort to produce something awesome, and then you realize there is still more work to do, and it is a whole lot less fun than the process of actually making something original. "But what if I just order a pizza? Won't clean up be a snap? Ha! I've picked apart your analogy in one fell swoop!" You know what I say to that? "Stop trying to stall and act all clever! Get back to editing!"
Sometimes You Spend All Day Making a Mistake
The last part of this analogy might be the hardest for you to hear. I joked about ordering out for pizza in the last point, but I've had to do just that before. I have had cooking mistakes that I realized as I was finishing up had just went completely sideways and tasted awful. Along those lines, you can write for hours and hours, spend a whole day working on something...only to churn out something in the end you realize is not just average or passable, but is like that burnt toast I told you about in the beginning. Sometimes you have to throw out all your hard work and start from scratch or go with something basic that will suit the needs of what you are writing. Sometimes you put in a whole lot of effort crafting a dish, or a scene, and have zilch to show at the end. If only writing were as easy as getting that pizza. "I'd like an order of plot please, heavy on the character development with a side of bread sticks." (Because you should always get a side of bread sticks with anything.) Now, this isn't to say that you should be afraid to start over or that backtracking doesn't happen. Sometimes I've arrived at the end of a chapter and realized that everything prior to the last sentence just won't work at all. But I started over because I had to. Or I chopped out what wasn't working and put something simple, yet sustaining in it's place. Sometimes I suspect we wish we could just leave that hole in the story just as much as we wish we could skip a meal. But in the end something has to be done.
As you might be able to tell, I love and hate cooking. Much in the same way I love and hate writing at times. However, as much as I need food, I need to keep on writing. I know at times analogies like the one I have written here can seem silly, or over-wrought, but I hope it has helped you. I suspect that for both of us writing, much like food, is a sustaining and nourishing thing. We need it in our lives to keep us going.
Well, time for a snack.
And a bit of writing, of course.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Keeping Up the Pace
How many words per minute can you type?
Can you do 60 words or more a minute?
I wish I could.
Not because I think this skill will be of use in landing me a kick-butt secretarial job or some other recorder type position, but because I feel like my typing can't keep up sometimes with my train of thought or my ability to dream something up. Not meant as a brag, just a fact. I could probably rattle off a story into a microphone faster than I can type it. Except I'm not really the "tell an oral story" kind of guy. Much as I love the oral tradition, as it is called, I love the written word more. Sometimes I can only ring out one idea or paragraph at a time and I plod along to get the job done. Other times I feel like if it weren't for other obligations I could just write from dawn til' dusk. Yes, those obligations even include potty breaks. When I, or another writer, get into that coveted "leave me alone, I'm writing" groove it leaves me wondering: can we as writers ever hope to keep up with our own ideas? Do we lose great ideas that will never enter our heads again? Can we compensate if our mind clicks along but the keyboard doesn't?
First, I have to say from experience it feels like a monumental task to keep up with my creative side when I can only crank out about 30-50 words a minute. Just because I am a writer, doesn't mean I can zoom along the keyboard...well, most of the time. I admit sometimes I feel like Mario and I can crash through mental barriers like I've just touched a invincibility star and writer's block is so many goombas. I love those times, as I'm sure every writer does. Should I feel bad for the times that ideas come more slowly though? Maybe they just needed a bit of time to marinate. I'd like to think that most times I can keep up with my own thoughts, but there are times when I can't. Have you had those times?
I have been flying along at the keyboard, a scene is coming together just the way that I want then BAM! I have to make a decision about one of five directions the story can take from there and sometimes they can be incorporated into a latter part of the story. So the easy solution to that problem would seem to be that I could make a quick note to myself, and come back to that idea later after I pursue another one. The problem is that it doesn't always work that way for a writer. Some times you can see for miles down the writing road, but you know that once you start on one path, you can't see those other paths quite as clearly. Sure, you can kind of trace them there in the distance and you know their final destination if you check a map or look at the notes you took. But much like real life, a map can only tell you so much, and a seeing a map of where things go is not the same as seeing the road that gets you there. At times like that I envy the cartoonists and artists that I know, both at home and on twitter. Artists like Apelad or Walmazan create several iterations of a design and can show it off and the viewer can get a clear picture of the ideas they were going for in each design. I am not sure if it is easier, but when I get stuck trying to remember where a certain pathway was going, I envy their talent for making a picture convey more than just a thousand words. So how do we compensate for those times when we have lost a thought or know that we might have had a fantastic idea that we totally lost track of?
I wish I had a fantastic answer or that one was out there either online or in a book.
I've heard everything from "write it down" to "draw a picture about it when it comes along," nothing seems to work though. Sometimes you are blessed and you can easily lock on to that old road you nearly took and add it to the story you were writing. Sometimes you totally forget why that particular arc was interesting or so full of promise. Either way, you need to keep pace with yourself and keep writing.
So here I am writing, trying to keep up a pace that will help me not only stay ahead of my thoughts, but will hopefully allow me to stride confidently down whatever story path I choose. I hope those of you who actually read this blog can stride ahead too and keep up a good pace.
Can you do 60 words or more a minute?
I wish I could.
Not because I think this skill will be of use in landing me a kick-butt secretarial job or some other recorder type position, but because I feel like my typing can't keep up sometimes with my train of thought or my ability to dream something up. Not meant as a brag, just a fact. I could probably rattle off a story into a microphone faster than I can type it. Except I'm not really the "tell an oral story" kind of guy. Much as I love the oral tradition, as it is called, I love the written word more. Sometimes I can only ring out one idea or paragraph at a time and I plod along to get the job done. Other times I feel like if it weren't for other obligations I could just write from dawn til' dusk. Yes, those obligations even include potty breaks. When I, or another writer, get into that coveted "leave me alone, I'm writing" groove it leaves me wondering: can we as writers ever hope to keep up with our own ideas? Do we lose great ideas that will never enter our heads again? Can we compensate if our mind clicks along but the keyboard doesn't?
First, I have to say from experience it feels like a monumental task to keep up with my creative side when I can only crank out about 30-50 words a minute. Just because I am a writer, doesn't mean I can zoom along the keyboard...well, most of the time. I admit sometimes I feel like Mario and I can crash through mental barriers like I've just touched a invincibility star and writer's block is so many goombas. I love those times, as I'm sure every writer does. Should I feel bad for the times that ideas come more slowly though? Maybe they just needed a bit of time to marinate. I'd like to think that most times I can keep up with my own thoughts, but there are times when I can't. Have you had those times?
I have been flying along at the keyboard, a scene is coming together just the way that I want then BAM! I have to make a decision about one of five directions the story can take from there and sometimes they can be incorporated into a latter part of the story. So the easy solution to that problem would seem to be that I could make a quick note to myself, and come back to that idea later after I pursue another one. The problem is that it doesn't always work that way for a writer. Some times you can see for miles down the writing road, but you know that once you start on one path, you can't see those other paths quite as clearly. Sure, you can kind of trace them there in the distance and you know their final destination if you check a map or look at the notes you took. But much like real life, a map can only tell you so much, and a seeing a map of where things go is not the same as seeing the road that gets you there. At times like that I envy the cartoonists and artists that I know, both at home and on twitter. Artists like Apelad or Walmazan create several iterations of a design and can show it off and the viewer can get a clear picture of the ideas they were going for in each design. I am not sure if it is easier, but when I get stuck trying to remember where a certain pathway was going, I envy their talent for making a picture convey more than just a thousand words. So how do we compensate for those times when we have lost a thought or know that we might have had a fantastic idea that we totally lost track of?
I wish I had a fantastic answer or that one was out there either online or in a book.
I've heard everything from "write it down" to "draw a picture about it when it comes along," nothing seems to work though. Sometimes you are blessed and you can easily lock on to that old road you nearly took and add it to the story you were writing. Sometimes you totally forget why that particular arc was interesting or so full of promise. Either way, you need to keep pace with yourself and keep writing.
So here I am writing, trying to keep up a pace that will help me not only stay ahead of my thoughts, but will hopefully allow me to stride confidently down whatever story path I choose. I hope those of you who actually read this blog can stride ahead too and keep up a good pace.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
The Importance of Distraction While Being Creative
Crazy thought here, but I think it's important to have stuff going on around you while you are trying to get something creative done. Whether it's a sketch for tee shirt contest, outlining a story, painting a painting...or working on a blog.
Having distraction around you can be a good thing. Whether it is a bit of too interesting music, a list of chores that you keep thinking about that needs doing, or a child that needs attention or whatever; having these things going on in the background can be helpful. Now, I'm not advocating working in a full on hurricane, but what I am saying is that if you are doing something creative that requires a bit of concentration, having constant distractions can actually help you to grow in your creativity.
Between building up a movie podcast and blog with my brother, writing a kids book, trying to be diligent in getting content made for this blog, a gaming blog in the works, not to mention the freelance work I do here and there--things have been busy. And the midst of that busyness there has been plenty of opportunity to learn this same lesson over and over and over again. If you can't get the fun stuff done when the world seems to be blaring a trumpet in your ear, how can you be expected to do it in those craved for quiet moments? And what if those moments never come?
You could spend all day pining for those perfect moments to be creative. You might imagine yourself looking up from a drawing board, sketch pad, a notepad, or a laptop as you look out a window and think some grandiose thought about the human condition or what-have-you. You pensively stroke your chin, knowing that a profound bit of artistry is on the verge of emerging from your ever fertile brain. The only problem is that you've been waiting all day for this mythical moment and that bright, sunny light is a street lamp and the grandiose thought is actually you contemplating having a bowl of popcorn while binge watching something rather than working on the stuff you were planning on doing all day. What's the point of trying after all, the best inspirational moments have passed. They were gobbled up like so much else of your day.
The problem isn't really that you don't have the time though or that the "really good thoughts" have been used up for the day. The problem is you didn't buckle down during the distracting parts. Those awesome, chin-stroking moments were available to you all day long, you just had to not let the distractions win.
It's a constant struggle to get the ideal moment that we dream of. I'm not saying that they never happen, or that they are a rare thing. What I am saying is that if you can't get yourself to thinking creatively, to be imaginative against the relentless press of the mundane--then how do you expect to have the discipline or ability to fully appreciate when the perfect moments do come along? What will it matter to you if the sun is shining as you look out the window onto the most inspirational scene imaginable if that becomes the norm for your creative time? Yes, we need to take full advantage when they come along, but we also need to be ready for the hard push that will come before those perfect moments.
I guess for myself I've started to learn to appreciate those moments a bit more and learned to push myself to be creative even when the world seems to be coming hectic and unglued. If I hadn't started to learn to be creative during the distracting times, then the quiet moment like the one I am enjoying as I write this would seem less special to me.
Distraction is helpful.
Having distraction around you can be a good thing. Whether it is a bit of too interesting music, a list of chores that you keep thinking about that needs doing, or a child that needs attention or whatever; having these things going on in the background can be helpful. Now, I'm not advocating working in a full on hurricane, but what I am saying is that if you are doing something creative that requires a bit of concentration, having constant distractions can actually help you to grow in your creativity.
Between building up a movie podcast and blog with my brother, writing a kids book, trying to be diligent in getting content made for this blog, a gaming blog in the works, not to mention the freelance work I do here and there--things have been busy. And the midst of that busyness there has been plenty of opportunity to learn this same lesson over and over and over again. If you can't get the fun stuff done when the world seems to be blaring a trumpet in your ear, how can you be expected to do it in those craved for quiet moments? And what if those moments never come?
You could spend all day pining for those perfect moments to be creative. You might imagine yourself looking up from a drawing board, sketch pad, a notepad, or a laptop as you look out a window and think some grandiose thought about the human condition or what-have-you. You pensively stroke your chin, knowing that a profound bit of artistry is on the verge of emerging from your ever fertile brain. The only problem is that you've been waiting all day for this mythical moment and that bright, sunny light is a street lamp and the grandiose thought is actually you contemplating having a bowl of popcorn while binge watching something rather than working on the stuff you were planning on doing all day. What's the point of trying after all, the best inspirational moments have passed. They were gobbled up like so much else of your day.
The problem isn't really that you don't have the time though or that the "really good thoughts" have been used up for the day. The problem is you didn't buckle down during the distracting parts. Those awesome, chin-stroking moments were available to you all day long, you just had to not let the distractions win.
It's a constant struggle to get the ideal moment that we dream of. I'm not saying that they never happen, or that they are a rare thing. What I am saying is that if you can't get yourself to thinking creatively, to be imaginative against the relentless press of the mundane--then how do you expect to have the discipline or ability to fully appreciate when the perfect moments do come along? What will it matter to you if the sun is shining as you look out the window onto the most inspirational scene imaginable if that becomes the norm for your creative time? Yes, we need to take full advantage when they come along, but we also need to be ready for the hard push that will come before those perfect moments.
I guess for myself I've started to learn to appreciate those moments a bit more and learned to push myself to be creative even when the world seems to be coming hectic and unglued. If I hadn't started to learn to be creative during the distracting times, then the quiet moment like the one I am enjoying as I write this would seem less special to me.
Distraction is helpful.
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