I'm a big believer in setting goals. There's something motivating about putting down on paper what your heart desires, as though having something tangible makes it more likely to happen. And I suspect that it does.
The key to good goal writing is to make them attainable but challenging. They should be stretch goals, ones that you can envision completing without moving mountains, but still have to put in some work to get there.
My goals for the next year of writing are:
1) Submit to Writers of the Future every quarter (no expectation on winning)
2) Complete NaNoWriMo (50,000 words baby)
3) Sell a short story to a Pro or Semi-Pro market
Attainable? Yep. Motivating? You betcha.
Motivational Quotes - refresh the page for a new one!
December 29, 2007
December 10, 2007
NaNoWriMo 2007 - Recap
NaNoWriMo was quite an experience, certainly different than I had expected going in. 50,000 words doesn't sound like much at the beginning, but after a week or so, it might as well have been a million.
In one way, NaNoWriMo is training for the real thing - writing every day and targeting a set quota. It's the ultimate in pressure-cooker, deadline-based writing. And, for my first go-around, I failed miserably, topping out at about 15k words.
My key takeaways from the experience:
- you must write, every day.
- don't expect to make-up any gap between where you should be, word-wise, and where you actually are
- take advantage of the 11 month headstart (NaNo is the same time every year!) and do some planning - outlines, character sketches, etc
- turn off the internal editor and focus completely on word count
The key question is, will I do it again? Yes, most certainly. While challenging and disheartening at points, there's nothing like the rush of working on a novel, and the idea of completing it in a month is intoxicating.
In one way, NaNoWriMo is training for the real thing - writing every day and targeting a set quota. It's the ultimate in pressure-cooker, deadline-based writing. And, for my first go-around, I failed miserably, topping out at about 15k words.
My key takeaways from the experience:
- you must write, every day.
- don't expect to make-up any gap between where you should be, word-wise, and where you actually are
- take advantage of the 11 month headstart (NaNo is the same time every year!) and do some planning - outlines, character sketches, etc
- turn off the internal editor and focus completely on word count
The key question is, will I do it again? Yes, most certainly. While challenging and disheartening at points, there's nothing like the rush of working on a novel, and the idea of completing it in a month is intoxicating.
November 14, 2007
NaNoWriMo - Day 14
No major update for day 14. Managed 500 words before work, and nothing after. Bummer. 
NaNoWriMo - Day 13
Yawn. I only managed about 1000 words tonight before my brain started fogging over. Tomorrow marks the end of week 2. My total word count stands at about 10,500 words. That is less than half of what I should have by end of tomorrow (roughly 25,000).
Ugh. One thing is for sure - this is definitely not for the faint of heart. I am sticking with it and will finish the month. Whether I can get close to sniffing 50,000 remains to be seen, but I will spend every spare moment trying to scrape my way there.
November 12, 2007
Back in the Saddle (NaNoWriMo Day 12)
Spent about an hour and a half writing and managed to get in about 1500 words. Not bad, but not that great either. My word count deficit is ballooning out of control. Paging Alan Greenspan…
Glad to be back at it, and I was able to pickup the story with no problem. But that word count thing is becoming an albatross.
November 11, 2007
Real Life Sucks (NaNoWriMo Days 8 - 11)
RL through a nasty curve ball my way. Had an all-day out of town meeting on Friday, for which I traveled for on Thursday & Friday, then spent the entire weekend working on my bathroom situation. In the spirit of full disclosure, I did spend 3-4 hrs on Thursday night playing Guitar Hero with my brother, time I could have spent plugging away. I rarely see him though, so took the opportunity for brother bonding. (excuse)
The net result is that I have not even opened the word processor since last Wednesday. I don’t even want to think about how many words I am behind.
Still, I am committed to this. I knew going in that I did not have the most accomodating of life schedules (demanding job, young kids at home, prone to fits of procrastination). I will get back on the horse.
November 7, 2007
NaNoWriMo - Day 7
Today marks the last day of the first week. I can feel my enthisiasm waning a bit, not for the story itself, but under the sheer weight of this thing. It is a massive undertaking, to be sure. Especially when I am devoting all of my free time into this venture, but am only managing to tread water. Funny how 50,000 words didn’t sound like much a week ago.
Got about 900 words written on my lunch hour. Not sure if I will have time to write later tonight. Hopefully I will so that I can cut into my growing deficit (now 3447).
Projecting my actual pace across 4 weeks would put me at about 33,000 words. Normally I would be happy with that kind of output in a month, but for NaNoWriMo? Yikes!
Created an interesting character today, my favorite so far. Not sure yet where I am going to take him. Initially, he was going to be story fodder, fuel for the antagonist to chew-up. But now… I’m not sure I want to sacrifice him. At least, not yet. I’ll keep him around, develop him further, and throw him into some situations to see what happens.
November 6, 2007
NaNoWriMo - Day 6
Another day of furious noveling. Only had a spare hour and 1/2 today, which I devoted to writing. However, I only managed 1200 words, less than my 1667 daily quote, and worse, putting me further behind the eight-ball.
This is definitely a grueling haul, and I am not doing myself any favors getting so far behind (2640 words at this point). The good news is that I am sticking with it, and am spending any free time I have on this. The bad news is that I just don’t have enough free time right now.
But… I will survive. I’ll keep plugging away, in 1000-word chunks if I have to, and hopefully I’ll get some large chunk of free time one of these weekends to really churn on this.
The other positive thing is, though I am certain my prose is awful, the story itself seems to be shaping up. I’ve got a diverse cast of (mostly) fleshed out characters, some intriguing stuff related to said characters reactions to a catastrophe, and a threat on the horizon. The chest pieces are on the board, now its time to shake them up and see what happens.
NaNoWriMo - Day 5
So I missed a day yesterday. Not a surprise given that I knew I would be working on fixing up the bathroom all day, but a disappointment nonetheless. I hate to see my momentum, such as it is, interupted. But despite my best attempts to deny & ignore, life goes on.
The good news is that I have carved through a substantial portion of my deficit. As of midnight (technically Day 6 now, sue me), I stand at 6188 words, an increase of about 2500 words from when the day started (or when day 3 ended…). If my math is right, I should be at about 8300 words at this point, so I still have some ground to make up.
It’s a slog, that’s for sure, but I am enjoying it so far, and look forward to seeing where the story will take me next. Which, when it is all said and done, is THE important thing (and truly the only thing). But I enjoy the contest against myself, and find that even when I want to be lazy and have plenty of excuses for that behavior, I am firing up the laptop, and not just for email.
November 3, 2007
NaNoWriMo - Day 3
Not a great day for NaNoWriMo… only had an hour of free time today (which I spent writing). Added 900 words, my 3-day total is now 3625. If I had written to the ~1600 word quota, I’d be at 4800. I am 1200 words behind the pace.
Still not overly worried. I knew going in that I wouldn’t be able to write 1600 words/day, but rather would chip away at it daily in 500 word spurts, and then have larger 2000-3000 days when I have a large block of time.
However, tomorrow looks to be a complete wash, as my parents are headed down to help me rip-out and install a new shower. Which would leave me about 2800 words behind. Ouch.
November 2, 2007
NaNoWriMo - Day 2
Day two was much more productive than the first day. I churned out 1900 words in about two hours, cutting into my deficit from the first day quite nicely. I’m now at 2705 words, about 600 words off the pace. No worries though!
It’s only day two, but it is surprising how motivated I am to sit down to write, even at the expense of time spent with my xbox 360. Amazing how watching the word count grow is a meta-game onto itself, and fuels me to continue. Then again, it IS only day two… 
November 1, 2007
NaNoWriMo - Day 1 (cont.)
I only managed another 200 words for the day, bringing my 1-day total to 800. That’s half of what I need to write to keep the even pace. Not the best of starts, but I am still optimistic!
NaNoWriMo - Day 1
Ok, I managed to eke out 600 words before my mind shut off for the night. Yawn. Still, its a good start.
T Minus 5 Minutes…
Signed up for NaNoWriMo for the first time. This is part of my renewed focus on writing of late. I will get published, I will get published…
But first I must write!
3 minutes!
May 8, 2007
Xbox 360 vs PS3
Let me qualify my following statements by saying that I have owned both the PS1 and PS2 (as well as the original Xbox, and now the 360). I am not adverse to buying a PS3, but right now don't have any compelling reasons to do so. The hardware itself is almost enough to get me to pull the trigger, but it is nothing more than an expensive paperweight without software. Personally, I don't care about watching HD movies right now, and the library of games is paper thin.
When the 360 launched, I was sure that their strategy to beat Sony to the punch was flawed, but now I am not so sure. The original Xbox had only been out a few years and was still the most powerful system on the market when the 360 hit store shelves. There was at least one or two years left in the black behemoth when Microsoft pushed out the 360. Nonetheless, we are now starting to see the fruits of Microsoft's get-there-first strategy. Right now, you can play Gears of War, Oblivion, GWAR 1 & 2, Call of Duty 2 & 3, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, and Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360. Meanwhile, the only game worth playing on the PS3 right now is Resistance: Fall of Man.
To be fair, the 360 had a similar quality shortage at launch, and a long dry spell after launch, much like the PS3 is experiencing right now. There is no doubt that a similar wave of must-haves will start hitting for the PS3. As a developer, you would be a fool to not support the current king of console gaming. But for the casual gamer who wants to get into the next generation now, the Xbox 360 makes for a strong case on the strength of its library alone.
Outside of the hardcore crowd who buy the consoles at launch, games sell hardware, so expect more PS3s to be sold as Metal Gear and the like start arriving. But already we are seeing holes in Sony's armor. Previous titles exclusive to the PS2 like GTA III (limited exclusivity to PS2) and Devil May Cry (complete exclusivity to PS2) are now bound for Redmond's machine. 3rd party exclusives are going the way of the dinosaur - it is simply too expensive for developers to not hedge their bets across all consoles, unless the hardware manufacturers themselves are willing to fork over the bucks to ensure that exclusivity. Sony could have done so with GTA IV and Devil May Cry IV but blew it. Assassin's Creed and Unreal Tournament are a couple of other games no longer exclusive to Sony's machine. These events undoubtedly had a direct hand in Ken Kutaragi, the father of the Playstation, leaving Sony.
Due to the escalating cost of producing games, this generation will see more console-clones than any other. So what you are left with to differentiate one machine from the other is:
1) hardware
2) services
3) first-party library & exclusives
Let's take these one-by-one and see who has the advantage.
Hardware
The physical hardware itself is clearly slanted in Sony's favor - the specs alone read like a nerd's wet dream - but at the current price point of the respective systems, I call it a wash. If Joe gamer can spend $599 or $399 for a console that essentially plays the same games, which is he going to pick? If he is in the market for a HD DVD player, the PS3 certainly makes for a very compelling argument. But if he just wants to game, the waters get murky, and the expensive Blue-Ray player suddenly becomes an albatross around Sony's neck.
The hardcore players already have their systems. Like all console wars, it is the elusive general populace that will determine the victor. Certainly the Playstation brand carries a lot of weight, but is that enough to get average gamers to pluck down the extra cash? As of right now, no. Stories abound of store shelves of unsold PS3s. The oft-rumored PS3 price cut will certainly help if it comes to fruition, but expect that to be offset by a 360 price reduction that looks certain to happen by the holiday buying season. Which means that, for now, Microsoft's lead is secure.
Winner: Tie
Services
PS3 offers an online service, for free, that allows gamers to play each other. Xbox's equivalent service costs $60/year. But this is definitely a situation where you get what you pay for. Xbox Live is integrated in the same fashion across all 360 games, your friends list is universal, and the achievements are as addictive as crack. The $5 a month alone has added incredible longevity to games- just ask the millions of gamers still playing Halo 2 on Live, who otherwise would have long moved on. Not to mention the spring dashboard updating hitting this week, which includes IM integration.
Live is a mature offering, developed over the course of several years and still expanding in functionality, whereas Sony's online service is a newborn still trying to find its way in the world. There is hope on that front, however, as PS3's service is starting to take shape with the recently-announced Home. Home is a 3D world where your avatar lives and can interact with other players. You will be able to have your own apartment and furnish it as you like. This is a killer offering and a step in the right direction, and is a true next-gen service, unlike Live's fully functional, if static, offering. But, like the PS3 itself, this cool feature is unrealized (launching this fall), and the 360 offers a more complete service package.
Winner: Xbox
First Party Titles & Exclusives
The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of games like GTA IV, Madden, and Assassin's Creed will be close enough in game play and features to be almost identical (although expect the PS3 games to look better, graphics-wise). But the first-party library is ultimately where the console war will be won. Both systems have their A-list games that will entice fan-boy and casual gamer alike. Personal preference will ultimately make the difference here.
Major Upcoming PS3 Exclusives:
Summary
Ultimately, I expect this round to go to Sony, based on name-brand recognition alone, but it will be a close battle. Between the 360's lower cost, Xbox Live, the long list of triple AAA quality exclusives, and the movement of former PS exclusives to the Xbox, Microsoft will make up significant market share this console generation. It is fairly obvious at this point, however, that they are both playing for 2nd place, as the Wii looks to dominate both companies and will likely emerge as the overall market leader. Expect to see the end result being a pretty even split between the three manufacturers, however, with perhaps only 5 - 10% of market share separating first from last.
Personally, I have played the Wii and came away unimpressed. The graphics are blah and the much-hyped controller seems like a gimmick. Any system that can get 80 year-old nursing home residents to play a video game is certainly an impressive feat, but as a dyed-in-the-wool hardcore gamer, I prefer the traditional systems. But until the PS3 starts kicking out must-haves (God of War 3 would be sweet) or drops the price, I will get my next-gen kicks with the Xbox 360.
When the 360 launched, I was sure that their strategy to beat Sony to the punch was flawed, but now I am not so sure. The original Xbox had only been out a few years and was still the most powerful system on the market when the 360 hit store shelves. There was at least one or two years left in the black behemoth when Microsoft pushed out the 360. Nonetheless, we are now starting to see the fruits of Microsoft's get-there-first strategy. Right now, you can play Gears of War, Oblivion, GWAR 1 & 2, Call of Duty 2 & 3, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, and Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360. Meanwhile, the only game worth playing on the PS3 right now is Resistance: Fall of Man.
To be fair, the 360 had a similar quality shortage at launch, and a long dry spell after launch, much like the PS3 is experiencing right now. There is no doubt that a similar wave of must-haves will start hitting for the PS3. As a developer, you would be a fool to not support the current king of console gaming. But for the casual gamer who wants to get into the next generation now, the Xbox 360 makes for a strong case on the strength of its library alone.
Outside of the hardcore crowd who buy the consoles at launch, games sell hardware, so expect more PS3s to be sold as Metal Gear and the like start arriving. But already we are seeing holes in Sony's armor. Previous titles exclusive to the PS2 like GTA III (limited exclusivity to PS2) and Devil May Cry (complete exclusivity to PS2) are now bound for Redmond's machine. 3rd party exclusives are going the way of the dinosaur - it is simply too expensive for developers to not hedge their bets across all consoles, unless the hardware manufacturers themselves are willing to fork over the bucks to ensure that exclusivity. Sony could have done so with GTA IV and Devil May Cry IV but blew it. Assassin's Creed and Unreal Tournament are a couple of other games no longer exclusive to Sony's machine. These events undoubtedly had a direct hand in Ken Kutaragi, the father of the Playstation, leaving Sony.
Due to the escalating cost of producing games, this generation will see more console-clones than any other. So what you are left with to differentiate one machine from the other is:
1) hardware
2) services
3) first-party library & exclusives
Let's take these one-by-one and see who has the advantage.
Hardware
The physical hardware itself is clearly slanted in Sony's favor - the specs alone read like a nerd's wet dream - but at the current price point of the respective systems, I call it a wash. If Joe gamer can spend $599 or $399 for a console that essentially plays the same games, which is he going to pick? If he is in the market for a HD DVD player, the PS3 certainly makes for a very compelling argument. But if he just wants to game, the waters get murky, and the expensive Blue-Ray player suddenly becomes an albatross around Sony's neck.
The hardcore players already have their systems. Like all console wars, it is the elusive general populace that will determine the victor. Certainly the Playstation brand carries a lot of weight, but is that enough to get average gamers to pluck down the extra cash? As of right now, no. Stories abound of store shelves of unsold PS3s. The oft-rumored PS3 price cut will certainly help if it comes to fruition, but expect that to be offset by a 360 price reduction that looks certain to happen by the holiday buying season. Which means that, for now, Microsoft's lead is secure.
Winner: Tie
Services
PS3 offers an online service, for free, that allows gamers to play each other. Xbox's equivalent service costs $60/year. But this is definitely a situation where you get what you pay for. Xbox Live is integrated in the same fashion across all 360 games, your friends list is universal, and the achievements are as addictive as crack. The $5 a month alone has added incredible longevity to games- just ask the millions of gamers still playing Halo 2 on Live, who otherwise would have long moved on. Not to mention the spring dashboard updating hitting this week, which includes IM integration.
Live is a mature offering, developed over the course of several years and still expanding in functionality, whereas Sony's online service is a newborn still trying to find its way in the world. There is hope on that front, however, as PS3's service is starting to take shape with the recently-announced Home. Home is a 3D world where your avatar lives and can interact with other players. You will be able to have your own apartment and furnish it as you like. This is a killer offering and a step in the right direction, and is a true next-gen service, unlike Live's fully functional, if static, offering. But, like the PS3 itself, this cool feature is unrealized (launching this fall), and the 360 offers a more complete service package.
Winner: Xbox
First Party Titles & Exclusives
The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of games like GTA IV, Madden, and Assassin's Creed will be close enough in game play and features to be almost identical (although expect the PS3 games to look better, graphics-wise). But the first-party library is ultimately where the console war will be won. Both systems have their A-list games that will entice fan-boy and casual gamer alike. Personal preference will ultimately make the difference here.
Major Upcoming PS3 Exclusives:
- Final Fantasy XIII
- Final Fantasy Versus XIII
- Grand Turismo 5
- Metal Gear Solid 4
- Warhawk
- God of War III
Major Upcoming Xbox 360 Exclusives:
- Halo 3
- Bioshock
- Too Human
- Splinter Cell
- GTA IV episodic content
- Star Wars Battlefront III
- Mass Effect
Summary
Ultimately, I expect this round to go to Sony, based on name-brand recognition alone, but it will be a close battle. Between the 360's lower cost, Xbox Live, the long list of triple AAA quality exclusives, and the movement of former PS exclusives to the Xbox, Microsoft will make up significant market share this console generation. It is fairly obvious at this point, however, that they are both playing for 2nd place, as the Wii looks to dominate both companies and will likely emerge as the overall market leader. Expect to see the end result being a pretty even split between the three manufacturers, however, with perhaps only 5 - 10% of market share separating first from last.
Personally, I have played the Wii and came away unimpressed. The graphics are blah and the much-hyped controller seems like a gimmick. Any system that can get 80 year-old nursing home residents to play a video game is certainly an impressive feat, but as a dyed-in-the-wool hardcore gamer, I prefer the traditional systems. But until the PS3 starts kicking out must-haves (God of War 3 would be sweet) or drops the price, I will get my next-gen kicks with the Xbox 360.
May 2, 2007
Star Wars Prequel Trilogy: 10 Things That Didn't Suck
I was re-watching one of the Star Wars prequels today, and starting thinking about the prequels in general. I find the prequels equal parts good and bad - there are enough good bits to keep me interested and happy, but just as many negatives to make me feel frustrated about what could have been. I decided to capture a list of the 10 best things from the newer trilogy, I will do the same in a future post about the 10 worst things.
Counting down, Letterman-style:
10) The Fetts
The Fett legacy only grows with the prequels. Boba doesn't do anything of significance, but his papa looks pretty damn cool in that blue-and-silver armor, and he duel-wields those pistols with panache. Plus we get to see more of Slave 1, the coolest ship in the Star Wars universe. The only downer is that we don't get to see more of the Fetts (not counting the millions of look-alikes, of course).
Counting down, Letterman-style:
10) The Fetts
The Fett legacy only grows with the prequels. Boba doesn't do anything of significance, but his papa looks pretty damn cool in that blue-and-silver armor, and he duel-wields those pistols with panache. Plus we get to see more of Slave 1, the coolest ship in the Star Wars universe. The only downer is that we don't get to see more of the Fetts (not counting the millions of look-alikes, of course).
9) Count Dooku
Christopher Lee has made a career of portraying villains and monsters on the big screen, and Dooku's title pays homage to the most famous of those. Though evil through-and-through, Dooku has a gentlemanly air about him, so that we almost think he isn't really evil. During his seduction of Obi-Wan, seems geniune and true, and he also seems to genuinely want to spare the lives of the Jedi in the arena. But when the time comes, Dooku shows his true colors as a Sith, and an evil, power-hungry one at that (but aren't they all)?
8) Darth Maul
Maul is the most under-used villain in the entire Star Wars saga, surpassing even Boba Fett. It seems George Lucas has this habit of creating really cool bad guys, but then doesn't make the most of them, and kills them too soon. Maul was the villain in Episode 1; his tattooed face is iconic and easily recognizable even by casual followers of Star Wars. His mere presence exudes evil, and when he is on the screen, you can't take your eyes off of him.
And then there is the lightsaber. Fan boys the world over fainted when the trailers showed Maul unleashing the double-bladed weapon. Maul employs his lightsaber with acrobatic ferocity, and though out-numbered, he beats Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan handily. If only he hadn't been so easily caught off-guard by Obi-Wan...
Maul could have been near the top of this list, if only he had been better utilized.
7) Clone Troopers
As one Jedi might say, the Clones are some bad Mother F'ers. They look sweet in that gleaming armor, can actually run and shoot at the same time (unlikely the Stormtroopers to follow), and they are genetic replicas of the infamous Fetts. Plus they ride around in those sweet gunships.
Even though the Clones become the Empire's shock troops, you almost still feel sympathetic as they turn on their Jedi commanders.
6) Mace Windu
The baddest Jedi in all the galaxy. Mace was largely wasted in Episode 1 (who wasn't?), but in the last two prequels Mace gets out of his chair and shows everyone why he is second in power only to Yoda. His fighting style is as unique as his purple-hued lightsaber: precise, minimalist, and with an undercurrent of fury bordering on the dark side.
5) Qui-Gon Jinn
Our first glimpse at a 'real' Jedi is through the prism of Liam Neeson's performance as the contemplating and wise Jedi Master Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon is the epitome of a Jedi - thoughtful, powerful, empathetic, and wise. Liam's own thoughts on Episode 1 aside, his performance is understated and perfect for the character.
4) Lightsaber battles
3) Obi-Wan vs Anakin
The mother of all lightsaber battles, the fight between Obi-Wan and Anakin is the most powerful of the entire 6-act saga. Intense and non-stop, the fight itself is a chorographical masterpiece, but it is the emotional undercurrent that really adds weight to the battle. Apprentice vs Master. Anakin's all-consuming hate vs Obi-Wan's resignation and regret. Watching the fight, especially against the volcanic backdrop, you almost think that they will stop fighting and help each other escape the inferno. But there is no stopping this train wreck, and all you can do is sit back and watch.
2) Ian McDiarmid
Palpatine's progression from straight-faced and conniving senator to emperor overlaps the 3-act prequels, and Ian McDiarmid plays the part with such skill and relish that all other performances in the prequels pale by comparison. His seduction of Anakin Skywalker ratchets up dramatically in Episode 3. Palpatine is the ultimate salesman, telling Anakin what he wants to hear and opening the door to Anakin's fall from grace. But it is the understated way that Palpatine operates that makes this so powerful and even believable, to the point that the viewer feels sympathetic and wants to believe that Palpatine is really a man interested in the greater good. It isn't until Palpatine's physical metamorphosis that he becomes the all-evil emperor in outward appearance as well.
1) Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ewan McGregor perfectly captures the spirit of Alec Guinness' original performance, while simultaneously adding his own unique twist, to the point that when I hear the name Obi-Wan, I picture Ewan's young and vibrant version. 
Without question, Ian McDiarmid's is a better performance, but Ewan's Obi-Wan is my favorite character of this trilogy, and easily in the top 3 across the entire saga.
April 8, 2007
Starter or Finisher?
Are you a serial starter or finisher? Or are you one of the fabled focused ones who finish everything they touch?
Keith Robinson has a great post on Starting vs Finishing projects. I have always been a dreamer, full of ambitious ideas, and quickly take on the hot new idea or task with full enthusiasm, often at the expense of the half-dozen projects I have simmering on the back burner. My biggest problem is that I don't go back very often and revive any of those old tasks. Instead they gather dust, the good intentions I had when starting the project forgotten. And if I never perform the necessary CPR to bring the task back to life, the time I have spent on it is lost forever.
Case in point - at work, there are probably a dozen tasks and personal projects that I have had on my radar for any number of weeks. Little emergencies, shifting focus, and the most-touted excuse- procrastination- all play a hand.
This translates to my personal life as well. For 2 years I have been planning on building a web site for my fantasy football league, but that has never gotten off the ground. I am reading no less than 8 different books right now - 2 on professional topics like project and time management, 2 on the art of fiction writing, 3 technical tomes, and 1 for-pleasure fiction book. Now obviously I can't read all of them simultaneously. At least half haven't been opened in 3 months or more.
This phenomenon even translates to video games, something I look at as a hobby and an escape from the everyday stress of life. There are probably a few dozen games in my collection that I still haven't beaten. Of those, I am committed to completing probably 10 or so- my 360 games. The older generation Xbox and PS2 games are lost causes. The problem is that there are always new must-have games that I "have" to buy, perpetuating an endless cycle where those games that haven't seen the inside of my 360 in a few months get a little colder in their cases
Even my fiction writing was plagued with these problems - starting a story, getting a few pages in, then after the newness of the project wore off, abandoning it for the next great idea. But after hearing enough published authors state the obvious that you can't sell that you don't finish, I have committed myself to finishing my stories before moving onto the next one I have brewing in my head. That doesn't mean it will be sold, of course. But at least I have finished something.
Which is more than I can say for much of the rest of my life.
Keith Robinson has a great post on Starting vs Finishing projects. I have always been a dreamer, full of ambitious ideas, and quickly take on the hot new idea or task with full enthusiasm, often at the expense of the half-dozen projects I have simmering on the back burner. My biggest problem is that I don't go back very often and revive any of those old tasks. Instead they gather dust, the good intentions I had when starting the project forgotten. And if I never perform the necessary CPR to bring the task back to life, the time I have spent on it is lost forever.
Case in point - at work, there are probably a dozen tasks and personal projects that I have had on my radar for any number of weeks. Little emergencies, shifting focus, and the most-touted excuse- procrastination- all play a hand.
This translates to my personal life as well. For 2 years I have been planning on building a web site for my fantasy football league, but that has never gotten off the ground. I am reading no less than 8 different books right now - 2 on professional topics like project and time management, 2 on the art of fiction writing, 3 technical tomes, and 1 for-pleasure fiction book. Now obviously I can't read all of them simultaneously. At least half haven't been opened in 3 months or more.
This phenomenon even translates to video games, something I look at as a hobby and an escape from the everyday stress of life. There are probably a few dozen games in my collection that I still haven't beaten. Of those, I am committed to completing probably 10 or so- my 360 games. The older generation Xbox and PS2 games are lost causes. The problem is that there are always new must-have games that I "have" to buy, perpetuating an endless cycle where those games that haven't seen the inside of my 360 in a few months get a little colder in their cases
Even my fiction writing was plagued with these problems - starting a story, getting a few pages in, then after the newness of the project wore off, abandoning it for the next great idea. But after hearing enough published authors state the obvious that you can't sell that you don't finish, I have committed myself to finishing my stories before moving onto the next one I have brewing in my head. That doesn't mean it will be sold, of course. But at least I have finished something.
Which is more than I can say for much of the rest of my life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)