Personally, I think deadlines stifle my flow - as you say - creativity. Yes, deadlines may get me off the couch and may help my productivity. However, deadline is just a stupid word. There, I said it. Let's kill the deadline.
Yes, yes, yes! And you know why I agree with this whole-heartedly :-) Thanks for being a voice of reason among all the self-inflicted pressure we put on ourselves without really appreciating what the consequences of doing so. Giving myself a reality check and hitting that reset button (again). I'm lucky to have you in my corner!
I JUST really messed myself (and arguably a draft) up by doing this. Clinging, pushing, forcing—and it didn’t work. Did I gain something? Unclear. Did I learn? Maybe. I am rolling forward with a lot more mental space. Thanks for this reminder!!
Glad to help. I wrote this piece in some part because I really could feel that impatience creeping into my work, and I could see that some of the writing was getting, frankly, lame. Which is what happens when I rush. This book only gets to be a book once. I want it to be a good one, not a quick one :-) I hope your project keeps rolling forward with its own productive momentum!
We were just talking about this on the DLC Slack! It calls to mind the expression "ars longa, vita brevis" which turns out to be one of Hippocrates' aphorisms translated into Latin. Merriam Webster says"art is long, life is short' means"learning one's craft takes so long that a lifetime may not be adequate:" and :" works of art may outlive their creators." Clearly, the process was not designed to fit exactly! Both patience and propulsion are needed. Still I'll bet if you have to err on one side or the other, propulsion is a huge asset for us limited human beings., because of that wretched "vita brevis" thing. Even if you have to revise the schedule, you're on the winning side, Henriette!
What kind of sign from the universe is this that I'm reading this on a day that I am… Hitting my book deadline? 🤣 but it is a publisher deadline. I actually like the deadlines because they force me to get out the rush stuff, the clay, that I can sculpt later, whereas otherwise I might dither endlessly. But yes, I have long said the muse is no respect of deadlines. In fact I think it's a line in the book. 😊 Huzzah for your new book! 🎉
Right. Publisher deadlines should be honored (by and large) because it's important to be professional and get things done when they're expected of us. But the other kinds of deadlines. . . . that's a different story!
Personally, I think deadlines stifle my flow - as you say - creativity. Yes, deadlines may get me off the couch and may help my productivity. However, deadline is just a stupid word. There, I said it. Let's kill the deadline.
Yes, yes, yes! And you know why I agree with this whole-heartedly :-) Thanks for being a voice of reason among all the self-inflicted pressure we put on ourselves without really appreciating what the consequences of doing so. Giving myself a reality check and hitting that reset button (again). I'm lucky to have you in my corner!
So glad you hit the reset button. And who cares about the "again"? The book doesn't know. It just knows it's getting better.
I JUST really messed myself (and arguably a draft) up by doing this. Clinging, pushing, forcing—and it didn’t work. Did I gain something? Unclear. Did I learn? Maybe. I am rolling forward with a lot more mental space. Thanks for this reminder!!
Glad to help. I wrote this piece in some part because I really could feel that impatience creeping into my work, and I could see that some of the writing was getting, frankly, lame. Which is what happens when I rush. This book only gets to be a book once. I want it to be a good one, not a quick one :-) I hope your project keeps rolling forward with its own productive momentum!
We were just talking about this on the DLC Slack! It calls to mind the expression "ars longa, vita brevis" which turns out to be one of Hippocrates' aphorisms translated into Latin. Merriam Webster says"art is long, life is short' means"learning one's craft takes so long that a lifetime may not be adequate:" and :" works of art may outlive their creators." Clearly, the process was not designed to fit exactly! Both patience and propulsion are needed. Still I'll bet if you have to err on one side or the other, propulsion is a huge asset for us limited human beings., because of that wretched "vita brevis" thing. Even if you have to revise the schedule, you're on the winning side, Henriette!
I love the points you make. You lowered my stress level and boosted my creativity. Thank you!
What kind of sign from the universe is this that I'm reading this on a day that I am… Hitting my book deadline? 🤣 but it is a publisher deadline. I actually like the deadlines because they force me to get out the rush stuff, the clay, that I can sculpt later, whereas otherwise I might dither endlessly. But yes, I have long said the muse is no respect of deadlines. In fact I think it's a line in the book. 😊 Huzzah for your new book! 🎉
Right. Publisher deadlines should be honored (by and large) because it's important to be professional and get things done when they're expected of us. But the other kinds of deadlines. . . . that's a different story!