Archive for 2015
Getting Back On Track
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Written by Kodi Wolf at 7:41 AM
Did you ever skip a class because it had already started and you didn't want to go in and interrupt and become the center of attention as you got shamed by the teacher for being late?
That's sort of the heart of procrastination for me. I avoid stuff because I feel like I already failed at it and I don't want to call any more attention to the fact that I failed by actually trying and really failing. So, after not posting here for several months, then a whole year, I just kept putting it off.
Needless to say, but I'm saying it anyway, I'm sorry for not keeping this site updated with what I've been doing. My life has been really crazy and I seriously wish I could just take a month off and hire a team to help me do everything I think I should be doing right now (as well as set up a plan to keep it all organized in the future).
Instead, I've realized I just have to work with what I've got and keep plugging away at everything as best I can.
To help with some of that (working with what I've got and setting up a plan), I'm currently working through a course designed to get me back to writing. So far, it's been quite useful. I'm making steady progress on my writing (not quite daily yet, but way better than before). More importantly, I've figured out a personal system to keep my anxiety from derailing my writing, which has been awesome.
I'll write more soon (give me a few weeks).
Progress, But Not Writing
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Written by Kodi Wolf at 2:49 PM
How do you measure progress? Is it only the number of new words added to a story? Or can it also be the part where you're spending time figuring out the story?
Spending time brainstorming is still one of those things I have a hard time justifying, like I'm goofing off or something, but I'm learning that it's absolutely essential to my writing process.
For some reason, I have this idea that I'm just supposed to know how to do something or what to do or when to do it without ever taking the time to actually figure it out. I seem to think I should just be able to sit down at my computer and start typing out a scene, even though I don't know which scene to write or what should go in it because I haven't finished outlining the story because I haven't finished organizing my notes because they're scattered in dozens of different places and files.
I want to start at step 10 (writing my story) when I haven't gone through steps 1-9 (organizing, brainstorming, outlining, planning, etc.).
So, even though the workaholic, hypercritical part of me wants to put me down because I haven't written much actual story text the past couple weeks, the truth is I've made phenomenal progress on getting Lights of Life organized and outlined in preparation for actual writing. I still have plenty more to do, but I'm getting there.
I'm also learning the fine art of "enough," so I think I'll stop for now.
