Last Person #5

[wingchun100]

I went from having one freelance writing job left to having 4. One of them involves reading a 400 page novel and then writing a film treatment. Yikes!

 

[wingchun100]

Let's see...I'm getting lost in the jobs I was hired for! I need a list:

1) Write 7000 more words for a 16,000 word novella.
2) Read a 400 page novel and create a film treatment.
3) Help someone expand a 10-page stage play by 30 pages.
4) Write a 1000 word article on the benefits of studying martial arts.

Actually, I believe that's it. Not so bad after all! LOL

 

[ks - learning to fly]

So much to do..... so little time....that right there is my day

sounds very, very familiar..

 

[donald1]

I almost got nervous today; I looked in the mirror thinking my teeth are horrible I got cavities (which is weird cause I brush my teeth every day). But then I realize wait a second... those are food particles from when I ate oreos after brushing them everything in the world was right again.

 

[wingchun100]

As I said above, I have quite a few freelancing gigs to do at the moment. Actually, items 3 and 4 aren't too bad. It's moreso items 1 and 2 that are killing me. What I am doing is splitting my time: writing 1000 words per day for the novella, which means I have to do that for 7 more days. For the novel, I am reading 50 pages per day, so that will take me 8 days to complete.

Sometimes, though, I wonder if splitting duties is the best way. I could ignore one item and just knock out the other, but then again it would probably take the same amount of time to complete both anyway.

Question of the day: when faced with more than one massive task simultaneously, what do YOU do? Chip away at all of them bit by bit, or ignore all but one task at a time? I am curious to know different approaches that people take.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Question of the day: when faced with more than one massive task simultaneously, what do YOU do? Chip away at all of them bit by bit, or ignore all but one task at a time? I am curious to know different approaches that people take.

Depends on what they are, but generally I do the most important/urgent one first

 

[wingchun100]

Depends on what they are, but generally I do the most important/urgent one first

Aye, there's the rub. While neither one is necessarily more important than the other, the novel gig DOES have a time limit on it. Still, I don't think the person who hired me for the novella would be happy if I ignored her completely for a few days.

Still, these are the kind of problems a freelance writer only HOPES to have. I need to remember that and count my blessings.

 

[wingchun100]

I was just reading through other discussion boards on this site, and man...it seems like I am the last poster on a lot of threads. I mean, they just stop dead after my contribution.

I didn't realize my nickname was "Conversation Assassin."

 

[Xue Sheng]

You didn't know that!!! Well maybe you should start attending the meetings

 

[wingchun100]

I would, but they don't invite me because, again, I might kill the conversations.

 

[Xue Sheng]

We always invite you...but we do the invite at the meetings...., you see, you would know this if you showed up

 

[wingchun100]

Down to 2 freelance jobs now: the novella and the film treatment. Woo hoo!

 

[wingchun100]

Went back up to 3 freelance jobs, with another one to start next week!

 

[ks - learning to fly]

rheumatologist can give me appointment time tomorrow!! finally!!!

 

[Steve]

Great day today. Was able to offer two employees temporary promotions as developmental assignments, and convert a temp employee to permanent.

 

[Tames D]

Question of the day: when faced with more than one massive task simultaneously, what do YOU do? Chip away at all of them bit by bit, or ignore all but one task at a time? I am curious to know different approaches that people take.

Depends. If it's a creative task, I stay with it as long as my creative juices are flowing. When I get writers block, I move on to something else.
For non creative projects, I designate an equal amount of time to each.

 

[Buka]

As I said above, I have quite a few freelancing gigs to do at the moment. Actually, items 3 and 4 aren't too bad. It's moreso items 1 and 2 that are killing me. What I am doing is splitting my time: writing 1000 words per day for the novella, which means I have to do that for 7 more days. For the novel, I am reading 50 pages per day, so that will take me 8 days to complete.

Sometimes, though, I wonder if splitting duties is the best way. I could ignore one item and just knock out the other, but then again it would probably take the same amount of time to complete both anyway.

Question of the day: when faced with more than one massive task simultaneously, what do YOU do? Chip away at all of them bit by bit, or ignore all but one task at a time? I am curious to know different approaches that people take.

Bryce Courtenay (Bryce Courtenay - Wikipedia) told me a great story. He was a marathon runner, competing in over sixty of them. As such, you strive to run the most well known one, the Boston Marathon. A hectic writing schedule, tours, teachings and signings, as well as family responsibilities, didn't allow him that opportunity. Until it did. So he went and ran.

Bryce was a dynamic personality. When he lectured, he charged across the stage, engaging everyone, then would pause, and just grab your attention by the short hairs. He was a dynamic kind of guy. A gentleman wild man.

I paraphrase, but this is what he told my wife and I.
"I'm running along, it's a beautiful day, I'm not a Kenyan running in front, but I'm not a slouch, so I'm somewhere in the middle of thirty thousand runners, and I find myself pretty much alone. Up ahead, I see a man, much younger than I, and he's struggling mightily. You know me, you know how I enjoy to engage. So I pull up next to him and keep pace. I say - Hi There! How are you today?

He doesn't have much left so he just nods and grunts. I then ask him, So, my friend, what do you do? (Bryce is running in place as he tells this) The tired man replies, barely audible, I'm a writer. Bryce's eyes go wide, he makes air quotations and repeats - he's a writer!

Bryce says, Now I'm really going to mess with him....because he's a writer! So, tell me my friend, what's the secret to writing? The struggling man doesn't say anything for a moment....then slowly croaks out - "bum glue".

Bryce (still running in place while he shares this with us) thinks about it for a minute and says, My God, thirty years in this business, lecturing all over the world about writing, about story, and this hapless man just tells me the truest thing I've ever heard and never thought of before. Bum glue, just glue your *** to the chair and write. Don't answer the phone, don't go see what the dog is doing, don't go for a stroll around the house to stretch your legs, don't go get a drink of water....just write.

Bryce goes on and tells us - him and the hapless man finish the last ten miles beside each other, never really speaking much more. Just running. They make it to the finish line and help each other to the medical tent, where they wrap up in those reflective blankets and get water to rehydrate. Bryce sticks out his hand and says, Please to meet you, my name is Bryce Courtenay. The guy shakes his hand and says, Likewise, I'm Stephen King. They remained good friends until Bryce passed away.

Bum glue. Pretty good advice about writing, from a pretty good source.

 

[wingchun100]

Depends. If it's a creative task, I stay with it as long as my creative juices are flowing. When I get writers block, I move on to something else.
For non creative projects, I designate an equal amount of time to each.

This time around, they are both creative assignments. I have been dividing up the time.

 

[wingchun100]

Bryce Courtenay (Bryce Courtenay - Wikipedia) told me a great story. He was a marathon runner, competing in over sixty of them. As such, you strive to run the most well known one, the Boston Marathon. A hectic writing schedule, tours, teachings and signings, as well as family responsibilities, didn't allow him that opportunity. Until it did. So he went and ran.

Bryce was a dynamic personality. When he lectured, he charged across the stage, engaging everyone, then would pause, and just grab your attention by the short hairs. He was a dynamic kind of guy. A gentleman wild man.

I paraphrase, but this is what he told my wife and I.
"I'm running along, it's a beautiful day, I'm not a Kenyan running in front, but I'm not a slouch, so I'm somewhere in the middle of thirty thousand runners, and I find myself pretty much alone. Up ahead, I see a man, much younger than I, and he's struggling mightily. You know me, you know how I enjoy to engage. So I pull up next to him and keep pace. I say - Hi There! How are you today?

He doesn't have much left so he just nods and grunts. I then ask him, So, my friend, what do you do? (Bryce is running in place as he tells this) The tired man replies, barely audible, I'm a writer. Bryce's eyes go wide, he makes air quotations and repeats - he's a writer!

Bryce says, Now I'm really going to mess with him....because he's a writer! So, tell me my friend, what's the secret to writing? The struggling man doesn't say anything for a moment....then slowly croaks out - "bum glue".

Bryce (still running in place while he shares this with us) thinks about it for a minute and says, My God, thirty years in this business, lecturing all over the world about writing, about story, and this hapless man just tells me the truest thing I've ever heard and never thought of before. Bum glue, just glue your *** to the chair and write. Don't answer the phone, don't go see what the dog is doing, don't go for a stroll around the house to stretch your legs, don't go get a drink of water....just write.

Bryce goes on and tells us - him and the hapless man finish the last ten miles beside each other, never really speaking much more. Just running. They make it to the finish line and help each other to the medical tent, where they wrap up in those reflective blankets and get water to rehydrate. Bryce sticks out his hand and says, Please to meet you, my name is Bryce Courtenay. The guy shakes his hand and says, Likewise, I'm Stephen King. They remained good friends until Bryce passed away.

Bum glue. Pretty good advice about writing, from a pretty good source.

And that would work great for those who earn so much from writing that they don't have day jobs...or two jobs. LOL I understand the sentiment though.

 

[wingchun100]

Post #1500!!! As long as another thread doesn't get taken down...