Just a Man with a Mash Paddle

One would assume now that I have more free time on my hands it would be easier to get back in to writing – even if only something as simple as more frequent updates to this site.  The truth is its actually been a bit harder to get back in to the writing habit on any level.  Part of it probably stems from the fact that I haven’t written regularly in quite awhile so I’m still a bit rusty about getting the things out of my head and on to “paper”.  The other reason is right now faced with so much free time my brain has scattered to the four corners.  I try to do too much all at once, and that just gets terribly exhausting.  This is even more apparent when I’ve tried to sit down and actually write something.  I’ve become too rushed with it, especially when attempting a blog post of any substance.  It’s like playing a game of speed chess, I have this ticking clock and I have to get the next sentence out before the time buzzes.  There’s no time to think, only type, I’ve got to do it right now!  This runs contrary to what I would have thought it would be like when presented with all this extra time.  The end result is that I end up with writing that feels very forced and in several instances doesn’t even convey what I had intended.

The way to combat this is organization.  Simply sitting down and saying, I’m going to write something, is not a productive endeavor.  It leads to the rushed, forced feeling.  In the end it makes the writing feel almost like a chore.  I’ve always looked at various ways to become more organized, but generally never implemented much in the way of a system.  I never gave it enough time for that system to take hold and become so routine that it was just another of the many processes I go through on any given day.  Now, with a lot of time available to me, it seems to be the perfect opportunity to begin finding a system of organization, research, and writing that helps everything come together; something to make the process flow and seem more natural rather than a chore.  This search for a system is also a wonderful writing opportunity.

As I research and test out different ways in which to better organize my writing life (and perhaps other aspects of my life as well) I’ll share them here.  There are many methodologies, and each person has to find the one that works best for them, but perhaps for other people looking to get a better grasp on things some of what I chronicle might be a spring board to discovering your own method for gaining control of the spiraling chaos that life can sometimes become.