A Deep Breath (#26)

"Know your enemy, know yourself, and you shall win every battle."
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Seriously, that thing looks like it's rubbing its ass on my cucumber plant.
(Yes, I noticed the double entendre in that sentence.)

"Next Sunday, I will either share my outline, or have the first fictional work completed." 

That was from last week's post. Today, neither is going to happen. I would love to say "I was busy". However, unless someone is surviving day to day, what they really mean to say is "I did not prioritize it". A lack of time is not my problem. The will to place this goal towards the top of my daily to-do list is at fault. If I would only follow through every day, even for thirty minutes, it would eventually become a habit. Then I could produce something weekly without struggling so much.

A Deep Breath (#25)

Sigh. Something has devoured my cucumber plants.
I believe it is a groundhog, but I am not sure
how he is getting in there. It is very disappointing.

It is 8 pm on a Sunday straddling between summer and fall. Woke up early, and did a bunch of chores. Then drove four straight hours in order to pick up my daughter and her friends from a wedding. Came home and served up the pork shoulder that had been breaking apart in the slow cooker. Spent the past two hours lounging around watching television. Decided to write that blog post despite feeling sluggish and tired. But not before surrendering thirty minutes in order to clean up the kitchen. 

At least the laundry was done yesterday (I planned it that way, knowing I would be traveling today). 

Two weeks have past since I last posted. That time was spent determining a direction for this blog. I believe I have discovered a new path. And it is thanks to a YouTuber named Struthless, whom I mentioned over a year ago. 

Finding himself struggling to produce video content, he devised a challenge. Each week, for the next twenty-six weeks, he could produce a single video. But he established specific parameters and constraints. These limits keep the endeavor focused, and provide motivation. Making it all public offers accountability. However, the most important part is that Struthless is allowing himself to create imperfect content. Because of the limitations, he will never produce a perfect product, and he accepts it. The goal is not to create something great, but to create on a regular basis, so it becomes a habit.

Well, I have decided to take this challenge and modify it for my situation. Namely, I want to write fiction on a daily basis, and I want to continue to blog weekly. So, combining the two, I have decided that each week, for the next fifteen weeks, I will upload a fictional piece I have created. One constraint is that it will be short. Exactly how short? Not sure. I am still working out the parameters and constraints. Also, it should be in a final form, or as close as possible. My hope is to use the six days leading up to my blog post in order to draft and edit the story to completion. Finally, by putting it out there, I am forcing myself to commit.

Having written all this out, I realize that more planning is needed. Tomorrow I will rewatch Struthless' video, paying closer attention to his guidelines. In order for this challenge to work, structure is necessary. Next Sunday, I will either share my outline, or have the first fictional work completed.

We shall see.

Just do not expect my best work. After all, that is not the goal of this challenge.