Wednesday, September 7th.
Sep. 7th, 2011 07:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexandraerinNews For Today
Yes, that's a second update to Tales of MU this week. And yes, I am going for the trifecta. Next week I am *probably* going to dial it back to the Tuesday and Friday update schedule that seems on the surface like it should be the easiest to manage, but that I've usually stumbled badly. Because of that fact I'm not finalizing my plans yet. I think I have a handle on what I've done wrong and what I've done right in the past.
The main thing I did wrong was not having a plan for what happens when I don't need the extra slack time it affords me. See, the idea behind the two updates a week thing is that I spend two days a week on each chapter. This gives me 2.5 chapters a week, so I should be building up a backlog. But then I finish a chapter in one day. It happens. But it also kind of throws me off, because the pressure is off. The idea is that posting slightly less often than a sustainable writing output will let me build up a backlog over time, but when I suddenly find myself at the start of the week way ahead... the gears slip.
The obvious answer is "don't do that"... keep writing like the deadline is ever in front of me, even when it's not. But the human brain can't just jump tracks like that... these things are skills that need to be cultivated. And the thing about working without a net is that you fall.
I think I've fallen enough times to work out how to stay up there a little bit better. If not... if I find the gears slipping, if I find the pressure easing off past the point of usefulness... I'll adjust plans. That's the real key here.
State of the Me
Insomnia is a harsh mistress. I'm never glad for episodes, but... well, I'm kind of glad I'm managing one now. If this week were unfolding in the midst of a perfect week where everything's going just right, I'd be more worried about crashing and burning as soon as I hit the next speedbump.
In the past I've relied a lot on a mixture of coasting through the calm times and using desperation as fuel during the rough times. What I'm trying to do now is cultivate "all-weather" habits, and the weather here right now actually couldn't be rougher. I'm not sleeping, my legs hurt, Jack is dealing with serious work-related stress issues, and I'm basically trying to restart my business, which means I'm skating on close to broke. I'm doing my best to completely ignore all that when I'm writing, and it's working pretty well.
Plans For The Remainder Of The Week
Tomorrow I'm going to lead off a chunk of writing on Kin & Distant Relations and then some writing on Chapter 30. The exact balance of time spent on each is going to depend on which is flowing better... I could see myself knocking out most of Chapter 30 (especially as it's inheriting a snippet already written), or knocking out most of K&DR (as it's already a work well and truly In Progress.)
Yes, that's a second update to Tales of MU this week. And yes, I am going for the trifecta. Next week I am *probably* going to dial it back to the Tuesday and Friday update schedule that seems on the surface like it should be the easiest to manage, but that I've usually stumbled badly. Because of that fact I'm not finalizing my plans yet. I think I have a handle on what I've done wrong and what I've done right in the past.
The main thing I did wrong was not having a plan for what happens when I don't need the extra slack time it affords me. See, the idea behind the two updates a week thing is that I spend two days a week on each chapter. This gives me 2.5 chapters a week, so I should be building up a backlog. But then I finish a chapter in one day. It happens. But it also kind of throws me off, because the pressure is off. The idea is that posting slightly less often than a sustainable writing output will let me build up a backlog over time, but when I suddenly find myself at the start of the week way ahead... the gears slip.
The obvious answer is "don't do that"... keep writing like the deadline is ever in front of me, even when it's not. But the human brain can't just jump tracks like that... these things are skills that need to be cultivated. And the thing about working without a net is that you fall.
I think I've fallen enough times to work out how to stay up there a little bit better. If not... if I find the gears slipping, if I find the pressure easing off past the point of usefulness... I'll adjust plans. That's the real key here.
State of the Me
Insomnia is a harsh mistress. I'm never glad for episodes, but... well, I'm kind of glad I'm managing one now. If this week were unfolding in the midst of a perfect week where everything's going just right, I'd be more worried about crashing and burning as soon as I hit the next speedbump.
In the past I've relied a lot on a mixture of coasting through the calm times and using desperation as fuel during the rough times. What I'm trying to do now is cultivate "all-weather" habits, and the weather here right now actually couldn't be rougher. I'm not sleeping, my legs hurt, Jack is dealing with serious work-related stress issues, and I'm basically trying to restart my business, which means I'm skating on close to broke. I'm doing my best to completely ignore all that when I'm writing, and it's working pretty well.
Plans For The Remainder Of The Week
Tomorrow I'm going to lead off a chunk of writing on Kin & Distant Relations and then some writing on Chapter 30. The exact balance of time spent on each is going to depend on which is flowing better... I could see myself knocking out most of Chapter 30 (especially as it's inheriting a snippet already written), or knocking out most of K&DR (as it's already a work well and truly In Progress.)