Just Writing
So I’ve got this thing. Maybe it’s a habit (got several of those), maybe it’s a quirk (many of those), but it’s certainly a thing (too many to count). If I was trying to frame it in nice terms, I’d call it restless creativity, or perhaps serial enthusiasm. I tend to get focused on something, and then I get really focused on it, for a while. Buy some books, search the web, generally soak in it for a while. And then… poof …I’m not so interested, and then something else comes along. Lather, rinse, repeat.
One thing I’ve noticed is that all my restless pursuits tend to be creative in nature; I want to make things. When my focus is on music, I’m trying to compose. When the computer grabs my attention, it’s either a programming project or a web site, that’s where this site, and a couple of redesigns have come from. I’ve got a stack of books on the shelf about hobby robotics. I’ve tried to learn Spanish several times; I guess that’s not creative, so we’ll call it the exception that proves the rule.
And from time to time I decide to write. I’ve got a file full of story ideas somewhere, which haven’t gone anywhere. Part of the pattern is that I like to spend a lot of time on upfront tasks, and never get around to the task at hand. Another problem is that I have a thing (ok, another thing) about doing things well; I wouldn’t say I’m a perfectionist, but I like to do things well, which makes it hard sometimes to practice something I’m not good at. On more than one occasion, I’ve decided to use this blog as a place to write for the sake of writing. You know, what the kids call blogging. That usually leads to a round of yak shaving, and my attention span runs out before I get back to the task at hand. Like the time I spent several days setting up a separate writing blog, which I never used.
And this isn’t new, two years ago I wrote a post about just writing someting:
In my last post, I talked about the forces that prevent me from writing blog posts- factors I collectively call friction. One of the things that I cited was a desire to get things done first- for example, to make some headway on a new project before discussing it. Another version of the same problem is the desire to work out an idea completely before trying to explain it. In this entry I’m going to try and throw caution to the wind, and write about some ideas which aren’t fully formed, but which have been rattling around in my skull for a while.
All of which is both backstory and progress. I have a current project which I’m focused on, a web application which I’d like to write. Since this one has a purpose- I’d like to turn it into a salable product- I have a reason to remain focued. At the same time, I’ve gotten the urge to write again (catching up on my Wil Weaton backlog on Bloglines seems to do that). So I thought I’d take a stab at it, and you’re soaking in it. Maybe I should try this again, tomorrow.
