My column was due today. I'd put off working on it because I was out of ideas. For me, ideas come when I'm doing new things. Going places I've never been, or haven't visited in a long time, or when I do something new. Another source is day-to-day living when something interesting happens. But it seems that when the weather gets steamy, my activity level drops and my creativity fades.
Column deadlines are regular. Mine is every Wednesday. My mind can be as empty as the beer cooler at a frat party, but apparently the deadline doesn't care because it still rolls around. It's there on mind taunting me like the demon of a frightened child. "I'm gonna get you," it rasps.
I got up early and surveyed the storm damage (more on this later) and did some other routine chores trying to get the juices flowing, but when I sat down at my computer, nada.
Jilda was going to Birmingham with our great nephew Jordan to pick up some things at COSCO, so I decided to go with her.
Once I got home, I headed to the office and closed the door. The clock was ticking, so I took a deep breath and began typing. Before long, the words started flowing. After about an hour, I printed the pages for Jilda to proof.
It won't win a Pulitzer, but it reset the deadline clock for another seven days. May your deadlines all be manageable.
Column deadlines are regular. Mine is every Wednesday. My mind can be as empty as the beer cooler at a frat party, but apparently the deadline doesn't care because it still rolls around. It's there on mind taunting me like the demon of a frightened child. "I'm gonna get you," it rasps.
I got up early and surveyed the storm damage (more on this later) and did some other routine chores trying to get the juices flowing, but when I sat down at my computer, nada.
Jilda was going to Birmingham with our great nephew Jordan to pick up some things at COSCO, so I decided to go with her.
Once I got home, I headed to the office and closed the door. The clock was ticking, so I took a deep breath and began typing. Before long, the words started flowing. After about an hour, I printed the pages for Jilda to proof.
It won't win a Pulitzer, but it reset the deadline clock for another seven days. May your deadlines all be manageable.
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| Our first sunflower of the year. |
I try not to have any deadlines--works for me!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a professional illustrator I benefited from deadlines because they helped me focus and complete tasks. Without a deadline I tend to founder.
ReplyDeleteSomething there is about a First.
ReplyDeleteI know when the rubber meets the road, you will be present and holding the accelerator down. You are imaginative, for sure.
Summer makes me lethargic. I do not handle heat well. My appetite lessens and my extremities swell. I am more productive in the winter.
ReplyDeleteI retired from gardening, so my deadlines were seasonal things that allowed leeway --except for sports fields that needed care and maintenance all year 'round, especially soccer which seems to have no off-season in California any more. People eh? Still, I create deadlines for myself and pretty much stick to them, which surprises me. I suppose that means I'm a part of my old boss, Nature, and people are too. I'm too old to start being anything but a people.
ReplyDeleteWhen it gets down to the wire, you seem to work well under last minute pressure because you always make the deadlines.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started blogging, at the end of the day, as I sat at my computer, I had no idea what I would blog about and I had no great expectation of what I would blog about but for some unknown reason, as soon as my fingers would touch the keys, a title was born and the rest of the post just flowed effortlessly.
It's hard to explain why it worked like that for me.
People like to read about what affect them personally and they like to talk about themselves.
You might find some old friend with a story to tell. I'm sure there are plenty of them around.
Enjoy your day.
JB
I hate deadlines..I always feel my mind goes blank, um, more blank than normal:) Beautiful sunflower
ReplyDelete