creative myopia
I'm sure a lot of my creative brethren have a similar problem, but here's the reason that the freelance game writiing industry is such a tough nut to crack for me right now (and why I'm alternately frustrated by it, but blissfully challenged and locked on with all my attention at the same time); I have serious problems focusing on the task and deadline at hand.
Case in point, my inhabitants/personalities section is due today. Rather than focusing on the last little bit I needed to wrap up in the shower, my mind wandered off to a section I don't need for a few months or so....a treant graveyard. NOTHING to do with the task at hand.
I have a theory for this.
Most of us spent our creativity as youths NOT paying attention in school. During lectures, what did we do? Doodled, wrote, made new monsters or adventures, pondered the best mix of iodine crystals and ether for those little snap pop firework thingys.... The creative stuff was an out. A way to avoid the boring shit in History, English, Shop, Trig, Chemistry, whatever. We loved doing it, and even did it outside of class, but most likely, the talent that was growing was significantly developed instead of or along with the other things that were happening in class.
Fast forward to a project with a contract. Something that HAS to be done. Something that feels a little like paying attention in class or copying down the periodic table. Even though it's shit I enjoy, nay love, someone else has the reigns. I'm not deciding I want to be developing the leadership of the local thieves' guild right now. Someone else has said they need it by Friday. It's still wholly mine, but not wholly my timing. I can't detour from the thieves' guild into the ritual they use to open the door of the Pharoah's tomb to hide their loot, because that has NOTHING to do with the CHAPTER on the leadership of the guild.... Deadlines, you see, turn things into homework. Same as in school, I really liked most of my classes, but the chances of me taking the initiative to memorize the Declaration of Independance are NIL if I didn't have to recite it for a test. I'd rather be detailing the leadership of the local thieves' guild than that....
To digress completely, this post is misnamed. Myopia is actually an eye disease where things in the distance are really fuzzy all the time because they're being shot onto the wrong part of the retina (sort of). It's also used to refer to a lack of long-term focus on important things. See, I'm having problems focusing on the tasks at hand, because they seem like WORK, when I'd rather be focusing onthings that aren't due yet, since that's where the FUN parts are.
Discuss.
Case in point, my inhabitants/personalities section is due today. Rather than focusing on the last little bit I needed to wrap up in the shower, my mind wandered off to a section I don't need for a few months or so....a treant graveyard. NOTHING to do with the task at hand.
I have a theory for this.
Most of us spent our creativity as youths NOT paying attention in school. During lectures, what did we do? Doodled, wrote, made new monsters or adventures, pondered the best mix of iodine crystals and ether for those little snap pop firework thingys.... The creative stuff was an out. A way to avoid the boring shit in History, English, Shop, Trig, Chemistry, whatever. We loved doing it, and even did it outside of class, but most likely, the talent that was growing was significantly developed instead of or along with the other things that were happening in class.
Fast forward to a project with a contract. Something that HAS to be done. Something that feels a little like paying attention in class or copying down the periodic table. Even though it's shit I enjoy, nay love, someone else has the reigns. I'm not deciding I want to be developing the leadership of the local thieves' guild right now. Someone else has said they need it by Friday. It's still wholly mine, but not wholly my timing. I can't detour from the thieves' guild into the ritual they use to open the door of the Pharoah's tomb to hide their loot, because that has NOTHING to do with the CHAPTER on the leadership of the guild.... Deadlines, you see, turn things into homework. Same as in school, I really liked most of my classes, but the chances of me taking the initiative to memorize the Declaration of Independance are NIL if I didn't have to recite it for a test. I'd rather be detailing the leadership of the local thieves' guild than that....
To digress completely, this post is misnamed. Myopia is actually an eye disease where things in the distance are really fuzzy all the time because they're being shot onto the wrong part of the retina (sort of). It's also used to refer to a lack of long-term focus on important things. See, I'm having problems focusing on the tasks at hand, because they seem like WORK, when I'd rather be focusing onthings that aren't due yet, since that's where the FUN parts are.
Discuss.
posted by Amazing Shafeman at 11:06 AM
2 Comments:
You might be right. I'm sure my inability to work on anything that is chronologically important in the storyline *right now* could be chalked up to feeling like I have to do it. hmmm...
In my opinion, it's a discipline problem. For example, right now, I've pretty much got SDF: Lost Jigsaw Pieces all planned out in my mind and all that remains is to do the work, right? But at the same time, I've got this brand new story idea bouncing around in my brain that I know for a fact I won't even be able to put into print until at least 2007 or later. But the idea is distracting the hell out of me. So, I have to have the Discipline to push that idea to the side and move on. I'll get back to it later. Y'know?
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