the way forward – The Internet of Words

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Look out any Window

April 19, 2019April 21, 2019 Internet of Words

Sometimes, I can be a little jaded. Considering the number of submissions made since January, the amount of work that’s been outputted (and already rejected) it is probably no surprise there’s an element of ‘oh, I wonder what I’ll fail at this week’ in the mindset. Except, when I look closely at what’s been learnt in the first four months of this year, there is a phenomenal amount to be pleased and proud of.

Most of that shift involves improvements in organisation and presentation. Learning how to make things sound more seductive, enthusiastic, being able to plan and block time effectively are undoubted steps in the right direction. Add to this an increased determination not to do anything other than my absolute best work for everything, however small, is altering my outlook with each passing week.

There are other, more subtle changes too. Setting sensible time-frames to complete projects, beginning to learn how long things will take are all helpful. Crucially however, it is my problem solving skills which have seen the biggest leap forward since the start of the year. What do you do when a muse just won’t co-operate? How do you make something happen that patently isn’t taking place and you have a deadline looming?

The key, undoubtedly is being ahead of the game.

Next month, a lot of things will happen differently to accommodate a project I’ve been working on for some time. The planning’s been underway since the end of March, and is now beginning to come to fruition. I’m insanely excited about what’s coming, and hope you’ll consider joining me on the journey as we enter an area of creativity as yet undiscovered. Trust me, it’s going to be awesome.

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Moving On Up

December 22, 2018December 27, 2018 Internet of Words

One of the most significant issues I need to overcome going forward is writing to deadlines. As this is being written (late, it must be said) there is the spectre of another ‘must be finished by’ item sitting to my right, taunting a brain that knows perfectly well how to schedule, but that struggles with the impetus to do just that. Next year will include finding third party help in learning practical means by which this happens more often than not. Time management, after all, is a problem for many.

My job now is to organise better and be more productive when inspiration strikes.

There will be a lot of thought given over the Christmas break over what stays and goes on this site in the New Year. I’ve already made the decision not to blog at weekends: not only does this allow more content to get used in the week, but provisions for scheduling that ought to be finished on a Friday. Effectively, therefore, I work during the week and have two days off. To do so however means fitting in what used to be Sunday planning on a Friday. This is where everything needs to change for the better.

It will require a quite complicated checklist of things that need to be finished in certain places and at particular times, but this is no more complex than my current workload. I could, for instance, write all the posts here on one day and then schedule them all to cover the week. I could get up 30 minutes earlier every day and write my personal blog if that’s a better fit. What has to happen is change, so there can be some feel for what is most appropriate.

Technology in 2019 will serve me and not make life difficult. It will be impossible however to avoid certain issues, and my mental health will (like it or not) cause conflict along the way. However, what has become apparent in the last few months is I’m more than capable of rising to a challenge, so that’s what this is. Everything can be fun, useful and a learning experience.

That’s what happens here going forward.

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Art for Art’s Sake

July 9, 2018July 9, 2018 Internet of Words

It’s twenty-one days before my holiday begins: not that I’m counting days or anything, but last night the dates were put in the Work Diary, which has somehow made the entire experience a bit more real. The poetry deadlines are looming for the first couple of awards/contests that I feel are feasible to enter, and last night my work to show for this was woeful. As of typing this (12.07 p.m.) there’s FIVE pieces of work whose foundations I’m very proud of. There is, I think, a way forward.

It’s as if my brain finally turned up and got with the programme.

OH MY DEITY THE CREATIVITY. pic.twitter.com/0o9BZ4dngU

— S (@MoveablePress) July 9, 2018

I edited some novel last night, and today I’ll prune and organise a portion of the scheduling backlog. Wednesday is the World Cup semi-final so as much as I can get done before 7pm will be great, and then a part of me is considering cycling to the entire thing in the shed, because then I have to focus on something other than worrying about whether we win or not. The week’s been planned out, but already today has come the need to throw that away and focus on the poems. Once upon a time, this would have ruined the rest of my week. Things are slowly becoming easier to deal with.

It might not seem like much to you but its a big deal to me.