Sunday, June 13, 2010

Procrastination & Productivity

There are as many ways to avoid "writer's block" as there are complaints about it. Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird: Some Notes on Writing and Life talks a lot about this issue. I'll go even farther: I don't believe in writer's block as a catch-all excuse. I think writers can learn to understand the complex mix of personality, neurology, scheduling, motivation, and other factors that make the best writing schedule for each person's life. Lamott also talks a lot about how you can learn to write by writing, that it's not the "inspiration" that counts, it's writing; the page is the place you learn to be inspired.

Do you have not enough time? That might actually be a good thing for your writing. Check out this Nov. 2011 Wired article, "Need to Create? Get a Constraint."

Are you a "bad writer," or are you just lazy? :) Why telling yourself you're not good at something is a self-fulfilling prophecy. "I Suck at Photoshop; Except I Don't, and You Don't Suck at That Thing You're Bad at Either" at Lifehacker by Adam Pash, Nov. 2, 2011.

A great blog post at Student of Change about the "organized artist," featuring a video about comedian Joan Rivers' file cabinet for jokes. The post quotes Twyla Tharp's book The Creative Habit: "No matter what form it takes, a good organizational system supports you to do your best work by allowing you to put your brain power where you want and need it to be. For some people that system will be a cardboard box of ideas, and for others a card catalog of naughty jokes."


Below are some interesting readings on the subject. None of these are 100% perfect. The important thing is that each author has thought about and studied what processes and schedules work for them. What works for you?









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