Sunday, 16 April 2006

Progress progress progress progress progress progress progress revise revise revise.  Revise qualify progress progress progress progress revise.  Quantify quantify quantify.  Progress progress progress progress qualify progress quantify progress progress progress progress edit for style edit for style edit for style. 

Progress edit for style qualify.  Think think think.  Quantify.  Explicate.  Think.  Progress progress progress progress progress revise revise.  Pace.  Pace.  Pace.  Qualify.  Meditate.  Medicate.  Read read read read read. 

Progress progress progress progress.  Research research.  Revise revise research.  Revise revise revise.  Edit for style.  Qualify.  Progress progress progress regress regress regress.  Delete delete delete delete.  Ctrl-Z Ctrl-Z.  Revise.  Edit for style. 

Progress progress progress. 

Progress?

PROGRESS.

DOUBT.   

PROGRESS. 

DOUBT. 

PROGRESS. 

DOUBT. 

PROGRESS. 

DOUBT. 

PROGRESS. 

DOUBT. 

PROGRESS.

DOUBT.  DOUBT DOUBT DOUBT.  Bawl bawl bawl.  Recover.  Bawl bawl bawl.  Success.  Happiness.  Elation.  Future.  7-11.   Harvard.  Circle K.  Yale.  Walmart.   North Northwestern Montana Community College.  The Fightin' Tundras.  Cold.  Dog.  Fire.  Life.

Comments

[Sine.Qua.Non]

It's time for a movie - action adventure preferably. Something meaningless and that lets you destress...

Take my advice...it works.

[eM]

No Ctrl-Y?

[Ancrene Wiseass]

This sounds eerily familiar.

And I'm with Sine.Qua.Non on this one: at least try working on something else for a while.

[M Schwartz]

Scott, what about looking at some of your well-received work from past seminars? When paralyzing writer's block/despair/self-doubt sets in, this usually raises the spirits.

Other suggestions: Side A of Let it Be, Young Frankenstein, Season 1 of Da Ali G Show, play with a Pomeranian, swim in the ocean, watch the Daily Show

[Rich Puchalsky]

"what about looking at some of your well-received work from past seminars?"

That's dangerous, M Schwartz. It's much more likely to cause one to decide that one has never written anything good.

[M Schwartz]

I suppose, Rich. Personally, looking at past work reminds me that I can actually finish something, and that occasionally the finished product is decent. Not great, just decent.

But I do detect a bit of sarcasm in your voice, and I'm guessing your comment applies mainly to brave Acephalous.

[Rich Puchalsky]

In part I was joshing, in part serious. To quote a saying in a book by fantasy writer Stephan Brust: "When the water is clean, you see the bottom; when the water is dirty, you see yourself." I do think that there's a clear danger, in re-reading old work while in a funk, of seeing only the defects in the old work. If it works for you, then of course I wouldn't argue with your experience, but I think it might not work for many people.

[Rich Puchalsky]

Oops, that should have been Steven Brust.

[Adam Kotsko]

They have an opening at North Northwestern Montana Community College? AWESOME!

[N. Pepperell]

I'm with Rich on this one - once I start losing confidence in my writing, it doesn't matter how well something else (or even an earlier draft of what I'm writing now) might have been received: the feeling will carry over to anything of mine that I read.

But writing is such a weird, intimate fetish - different things will work for different people.

[Matt]

hey -- at least it's not South Northwestern Montana Community College.

[T. Scrivener]

BOB JONES UNIVERSITY!
BOB JONES UNIVERSITY!
BOB JONES UNIVERSITY!

Or maybe you'll end up here: http://home.houston.rr.com/bybayouu/main.html ( Scott especially will like this one).

[Casey]

Try video games or going to an undergrad. bar and hitting on some 21-year old... I find that either of those helps -- in different ways, of course.

[Scott Eric Kaufman]

Tim, no Tim, no. I don't want people to know that I'm the lone Scot who graduated (UNGRAMMATICALLY!) By Bayou. Thanks one more unbagged cat in need of herding.

Casey, um, I think I'll have to stick to video games, since THE Little Womedievalist might take offense to my hitting on 21-year old undergraduates . . . as might the university, for that matter.

N.P., I agree, knowledge of previous success just emphasizes the depth of current failure for me. But then again, no one would ever mistake me for an optimist.

A.W. and S.Q.N., I won't ever admit to taking your advice and watching Constantine, but that has more to do with it than you.

Mike, one day you and I will have to talk about my aversion, nay! hatred of sand.

And pomeranians. An hour with a yapping ball of fur would send me flying out the window whatever-organ-whose-injury-would-kill-me-the-deadest first.

[Mike S]

Pomeranians yappy? Occasionally, yes. But they also smile. Constantly. It's as though they intensely believe in a certain Bobby McFerrin song.