Mr. Orwell

“Mr. Orwell must have wasted a lot of energy trying to be a novelist. I think I must have read three or four novels by him and the only impression these dreary books left on me was that nature didn’t intend him to be a novelist.”

Q.D. Leavis, 1940

Actual time management advice that seems more helpful. Introducing: Instant Gratification Monkey and The Panic Monster

There are lots of time management videos and articles out there. I should know, I’ve probably read all of them while I avoided doing actual work. They are also vaguely sanctimonious and tell you that if you really valued your time, you’d find a way to do that stuff that’s important to you. Loser.

Tim Urban’s video about the horrors of long term procrastination is far more relevant, more forgiving, and funnier. Tim’s blog, ‘Wait But Why’ is here for anyone wanting to read more.\

Meditation on success type things

 Mari Andrew, writer and illustrator, sums up her feelings about success, with a successful illustration.

http://bymariandrew.com/writing

Adam Savage Shows the Creative Process Through a Strandbeest Build (or, Things Go Wrong)

I love that Adam Savage always shows his projects from beginning to end and that he’s happy to show that working from the concept through to the final design isn’t always a smooth process. There will be issues. Measurements will be wrong. The concept may not work as envisioned. It takes longer than expected. Corrective action may be needed just as it seems like the project is finished. In other words: this is normal. Whether you’re building software, composing music, painting or working on a book, you’re going to run into problems. This doesn’t mean you’re a terrible creative and you should stop. It’s part of the process, so don’t sweat it. Just get up early in the morning after inspiration strikes, make your adjustments, and finish.

The Writer's Reaction to Their Manuscript (In Pictures)

 

I can’t believe I wrote a

whole book! It’s SO big. It’s

like, a whole ream of paper.

I’m so awesome.

Hmmmm... This manuscript is

really big. I’ve got a bit of work ahead of me.

Oh God. What have I done?

A Post for Creative Types (When Confronted by Their Terrible First Draft)

 

Everything we’re arguing about now, is nothing new...

As this video points out, the arguments we’re having now are nothing new. Civilization is constantly in peril, democracy sails close to the rocks that can wreck it at any moment, people look down on other people, everyone sticks to their own point of view, people think revolutions are a great idea until they’re in the middle of one, and mankind continues to fail to do the one thing that nearly every religion and philosopher has said is important: that we should all be kind and decent to each other.