tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post6864511582997786624..comments2024-03-29T01:07:30.224-07:00Comments on Had Enough Therapy?: When Writers ProcrastinateStuart Schneidermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-43156713457249263702014-02-17T16:30:55.862-08:002014-02-17T16:30:55.862-08:00I've been trying to write my novel for almost ...I've been trying to write my novel for almost a year now. I knew when I started how the story goes, even how it ends. Why does it seem to get more and more complicated and disorganized as I get deeper into it? Yes, writing is hard.Memphishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01636056194130886380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-53081049537704058292014-02-16T09:23:47.482-08:002014-02-16T09:23:47.482-08:00I think I'm going to wait to write a comment.....I think I'm going to wait to write a comment...<br /><br />TipAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-42762300079303970532014-02-15T14:16:02.856-08:002014-02-15T14:16:02.856-08:00"...just can't bare to remove what doesn&..."...just can't bare to remove what doesn't belong."<br /><br />The late Gary Provost suggested a way to get around this problem, "Make sure every word is doing a job." <br /><br />Having to read words that aren't accomplishing anything, makes for tedious and boring reading. If you do this too much, your readers will stop reading.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01990269310381826048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-37207696515579015782014-02-15T13:59:04.668-08:002014-02-15T13:59:04.668-08:00They have the last part of Dick Cheney's Unkno...They have the last part of Dick Cheney's Unknowns: The Unknown Unknowns. They don't know what they don't know, and they won't let anyone tell them what they don't know, or need or ought to know. Sam L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00996809377798862214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-82559869016843543842014-02-15T13:14:20.890-08:002014-02-15T13:14:20.890-08:00I agree with you that writing always improves thin...I agree with you that writing always improves thinking. It's not so clear why this is so-- except that it imposes far more discipline than does rumination.<br /><br />As for the self-esteemism, McArdle does not call it such, but she does place considerable emphasis on the "trophy" culture where everyone gets a prize, regardless. Obviously, such a method must undermine motivation.Stuart Schneidermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-84496325050839525482014-02-15T13:06:50.650-08:002014-02-15T13:06:50.650-08:00The process of writing (or any creative art perhap...The process of writing (or any creative art perhaps) is hard to understand, and I agree there's a strange relationship with procrastination.<br /><br />I remember hearing about a recent book on motivation, basically reward systems are helpful for tasks that are mechanical but higher rewards cause worse performance for tasks that require higher mental function, including creative problem solving, which certainly would include writing.<br /><br />Myself, I don't see the point in naming "American self-esteemism" as an enemy that prevent of quality work, but I might equally suggest our "inner critic" is the enemy, that causes our procrastination, so the battle is to silence the critic long enough to get SOMETHING down.<br /><br />I am curious about the editing process, and see sentimental attachment is no different from writing to gardening, where there is abundance and you know it is too much, and is unhealthy growth, but just can't bare to remove what doesn't belong.<br /><br />The same applies in being a computer programmer, and code bloat. You can make something wonderful and just keep incrementally adding more wonder until it is a god forsaken mess, in coding, and for users, too complex to be useful to anyone who doesn't have the patience to learn how to use it. In comparison Apple Computers tried to apply the "simplicity" argument to programs, not for what's easy or exciting for the programmer, but what most transparently allows the user to not see the program at all, but what they want to do.<br /><br />Maybe gardening is a good comparison, without mother nature, we'd not have the abundance of forms to choose from, but we also have to copy natural selection with artificial selection, and knowing our purpose, we can iteratively approach something greater than any linear process could ever promise.<br /><br />So in writing, nature are the muses, or perhaps by Jungian psychology, archetypal points of view, or simply moods, and each Muse has its own gifts, and if something you wrote yesterday that seemed wonderful is now dull, perhaps you're under a different muse in the moment, and this new muse has something else to teach, and can more mercilessly edit out the fluff that the first Muse wouldn't bare to leave out. <br /><br />Anyway somehow I see this filtering process is how our "linear minds" can access a bigger picture than we can ever comprehend in a ordinary moment.<br /><br />That's why I write at least, and I admit might not be a good writing, but it improves my thinking.Ares Olympushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09726811306826601686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-44930320972174812212014-02-15T10:02:07.281-08:002014-02-15T10:02:07.281-08:00Dennis..."This is not an unusual problem for ...Dennis..."This is not an unusual problem for engineers."<br /><br />True dat, and the problem is not limited to engineers. To a considerable extent, the situation can be made better or worse by organization design. If you have a business unit, or a value-stream team, focused on a particular new product...the BU or team to include engineers, marketing people, and manufacturing people...you will get much more effective interaction than if you have giant functional empires for engineering, marketing, and manufacturing, all responsible for multiple product lines and tossing requirements documents over the wall at each other. (As a business friend used to say, "synergy costs money.")<br /><br />But I also think that there is another problem, and that is that too many people, especially new graduates, tend to over-value their credentials and under-value what they can learn from smart and experienced (but uncredentialed) people...and again, this problem is by no means limited to engineers.David Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15464681514800720063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-66042585453497778092014-02-15T08:46:23.160-08:002014-02-15T08:46:23.160-08:00The best teacher I ever had (for 3 years) was my H...The best teacher I ever had (for 3 years) was my HS English teacher, Mrs. Rigsby. A severely attractive Southern lady, every student was afraid of her. Except me.<br /><br />I don't think she Ever praised me. But she gave me rigorous work, including college-level Term Papers. She also gave me books from her personal library.<br /><br />I worked my buns off for her. After VN, I went to see her. She was dead young of Cancer.<br /><br />The occupational hazard of speechwriters is heart attacks. Michael Gerson had one at 38. I still get nightmares. -- Rich LaraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-58009288420628789252014-02-15T08:23:32.713-08:002014-02-15T08:23:32.713-08:00David Foster,
This is not an unusual problem for ...David Foster,<br /><br />This is not an unusual problem for engineers. Many of them have a hard time relating to the people who have to make their ideas work. It is one reason why the Navy had the Engineers at Sea Program so they could experience what the user had to deal with under combat conditions. <br />I was asked to oversee a project that the Marine Corps need for clearing minefields. The engineer and the depot maintenance people were at loggerheads.<br />The first thing one noticed is that they we talking at each other, but no one was listening. It only took 2 months to get the item to factory acceptance testing and approval.<br /><br />Almost all analysts have to do what many writers do because it requires being able to bring a lot of information together with consideration to how it affects the ultimate mission. I used to get up, walk around the building, go to lunch, talk to people and stare at the ceiling. After some time procrastinating it just flowed and then came the hard part of writing it all up.<br /><br />Dennishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14962996070458991675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-55705546486310603322014-02-15T07:32:23.389-08:002014-02-15T07:32:23.389-08:00The CEO of Nestle UK recently complained that few ...The CEO of Nestle UK recently complained that few recent engineering graduates are "willing to really roll up their sleeves” and engage with unskilled and semi-skilled operators." She also observed that they are lacking in interpersonal skills and have little or no knowledge of the food industry.<br /><br />The executive, Fiona Kendrick, is supporting the launch of a new masters-level program in food & drink manufacturing engineering. Maybe this will address her third issue..the industry-knowledge issue...but will not help the engagement and interpersonal-skills issues, and is IMO likely to do exactly the opposite.<br /><br />http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Business-News/Graduates-lack-personal-skills-and-business-acumen-Nestle-boss?utm_source=copyright&utm_medium=OnSite&utm_campaign=copyrightDavid Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15464681514800720063noreply@blogger.com