Blink. Blink. Blink. Taunt. Taunt. Taunt. We’ve all been there, right? Sometimes a minor annoyance, sometimes a frustratingly monumental boulder in our path to success. We all handle the void in our own way. When I first started my blog, the wide open canvas freaked me out at times. If I knew I needed to post but had no stellar idea brewing I would tense up and curse the cursor. Two years into it and most of the time it bothers me not.
In terms of posts at my blog, it’s no big deal. I don’t have a boss pushing me to meet post quotas. As well, I refuse to put my name on anything I would be less than proud of. If nothing comes, I’ll hang for a day and something will always arrive for me to post about. I have some oldies in the archive that still apply and those are always worth a resurrection. I read enough books that I can do a review. The forum is always open for guest posters but I get few folks taking me up on the offer. In short, it’s all good.
When I have to write articles for a client, it’s a little different. Apparently I work best under pressure and deadline. I know this because this is where I seem to hang out. If I have a week to do 20 articles, you can bet the last two days I’m a machine. I have always been able to pull from the well and deliver. I had one freelancer that I subcontracted for and as it turns out the client she wanted me to write for was way too picky and apparently in a different league. I did maybe two articles and then let her know that the trouble wasn’t worth it and I didn’t want her to have to revamp my articles. I knew when to give up. That’s sound advice by the way. If you’re in over your head, get out early.
Fiction writing is the area where I battle the cursor the most. The problem is that generally, any pressure or deadlines are self imposed and I’m way too flexible in giving myself additional time. There is also the problem of the canvas being TOO wide open. I think maybe I need to write a novel using specific long-tailed keyword phrases. Hmmm, I might have something there.
If given a writing prompt of some kind, I can usually come up with a decent fiction piece. I just finished a little contest over at Wayne’s Long Short Stories. The short story was 90 percent complete and the contest involved writing an ending. It was great fun and the cursor bothered me nary a bit.
So, how stuck do you get? Do you need a tow truck with a winch or do you just rock back and forth until you get some traction? What are your methods for conquering the cursor?
Using long tail keywords for fiction is an intriguing concept. I can’t get my head around how that would work for a novel, but I am thinking of chapter titles that sound like long tail keywords and only make sense once you have read the specific chapters.
Tammi Kibler´s last [type] ..Writing Career: Find a Path, Beat It into Submission
Hey Tammi,
It is an interesting concept. The more I think about it… I like the chapter idea!
George
George,
I can’t imagine anyone being out of your league. No way. No how. Bullocks!
Interesting to read your thoughts on the taunting cursor. You know, when I employed full-time as a science writer for a big company, I never had trouble writing. It was expected of me. It was my job. I had tight deadlines. And, I never once felt blocked or felt the cursed cursor. I didn’t have time! I think when the pressure is on, that is when I also write the best and produce the most of anything. I savor the challenge, me thinks.
I think that crosses multiple disciplines, too. I’m coaching a friend right now to run his first marathon, and I usually say, “You can run the marathon today — right now — if you had to. (It’s the training that defines how much you’ll hurt during the race.)”
~xo!
Lori´s last [type] ..Nearing Half Way
heh. Thanks Lori. It was an unique situation for me. I think I was way too informal for the site owner.
I think that when something is your job and you are expected to deliver it changes the motivation and such. I think I do my best work under pressure as well – probably a throwback to my old paramedic days!
George
Pingback: Tweets that mention The Cursed Cursor | George Angus, Tumblemoose Writer -- Topsy.com
I’m usually my own worst enemy when it comes to getting stucked. I set up these goals and expectations (and they are pretty reasonable for the most part) for writing projects and more times than not, I get stucked-blocked. I put way too much pressure on myself to try to get it right the first time. I end up having to take a step back to re-evaluate and then re-priortize; other times, I’ll journal or blog about it. And then, I’m fine. I can usually move on.
Carrie
Hi Carrie,
I’ve done that kind of thing too. Early on I would “over promise” and get myself backed into a corner. I’ve learned to be a bit more reasonable with telling my client when I will have the work completed.
George
I tend not to worry about the cursor because I only have myself to answer to. If I don’t have anything to say…I just don’t say anything.
At the same time, if I need to get something done, waiting until the last minute seems to help me focus and just get it done. Pressure is good. It’s why I usually write late at night. I challenge myself to see if I can finish before I get to sleepy to continue
Heather,
I used to do all of my writing in the early morning. Anymore a lot of it is done in the evening, often due to extreme procrastinating on my part!
George