Yes, slow can be good. Taking a break and letting work marinate can be good too. It's amazing what I'm able to do when I come back to a project I've set aside for a while. Not sure where the new momentum comes from but I'm always happy when it does. Love the dandruff snow!!
Yes, that happens for me too, with getting new energy and momentum when I put something aside for a while. Sometimes I think I get too deep in it so it's almost like working in a deep hole and I need to climb out. But also sometimes I know I need to become a better writer before I can continue.
Thanks, Jolene! It's always the best feeling when I look back at all the tiny bits I've done on a project and realize what they've added up to. It can feel like molasses though.
Going slow…I feel that all the time! That my writing moves at a glacial pace. Part of that is definitely me, and my own issues, but another part of me, just goes with it. I’ve always done things in my own way and on my own time. So I embrace the slow pace, even if at times it frustrates me. Because I know, even if it isn’t wholly visible, I am moving forward.
I have been slowly making my way through my substack inbox and catching up on everything... Completely agree that slow/steady creates better art than rush/hurry does. The money/payment thing really complicates everything. It gets extra hard when you ARE going slow and putting forward what you think is really good work but still keep gathering rejections. (I'm here now! I don't like it.) I'm hopeful for my next project though. In the meantime, here's to slow, steady forward progress.
I feel this video, Julie! I think about the pacing of my work as much as pacing *in* my work, which is saying something (and not something good). I often rely on momentum--and it's so easy to lose it. And it's also so easy to let momentum pull you along frantically to the finish line, only to realize the journey was a rushed mess and not really worth it. Like when you are traveling in a car, and you see something exciting, but by the time you alert the driver, whoosh, it's gone forever.
I guess I just need to find a pace where I'm moving at a nice clip but not being drug (dragged? whatever) past the things I am meant to see or find along the way.
And you are right about invisible progress, too. It's like that Edison quote, "I have not failed 10,000 times—I've successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work." Each try is a learning opportunity. And, at least for me, sometimes I need to make the same mistake many times before I realize I'm making it.
I'll remind you that momentum is made up of tiny moments, it's right there in the word, which I JUST REALIZED RIGHT THIS SECOND. I have a post coming soon about this, about momentum! I've been thinking about it a lot too.
Yes, slow can be good. Taking a break and letting work marinate can be good too. It's amazing what I'm able to do when I come back to a project I've set aside for a while. Not sure where the new momentum comes from but I'm always happy when it does. Love the dandruff snow!!
Yes, that happens for me too, with getting new energy and momentum when I put something aside for a while. Sometimes I think I get too deep in it so it's almost like working in a deep hole and I need to climb out. But also sometimes I know I need to become a better writer before I can continue.
Loved this video! It does add up even when it seems the work is so slooow… thanks, Julie! ❄️
Thanks, Jolene! It's always the best feeling when I look back at all the tiny bits I've done on a project and realize what they've added up to. It can feel like molasses though.
Going slow…I feel that all the time! That my writing moves at a glacial pace. Part of that is definitely me, and my own issues, but another part of me, just goes with it. I’ve always done things in my own way and on my own time. So I embrace the slow pace, even if at times it frustrates me. Because I know, even if it isn’t wholly visible, I am moving forward.
I have been slowly making my way through my substack inbox and catching up on everything... Completely agree that slow/steady creates better art than rush/hurry does. The money/payment thing really complicates everything. It gets extra hard when you ARE going slow and putting forward what you think is really good work but still keep gathering rejections. (I'm here now! I don't like it.) I'm hopeful for my next project though. In the meantime, here's to slow, steady forward progress.
Wonderful post and a great reminder for us all. But I have to admit, I am now fixated on seeing inside "the playset" because it sounds fantastic! 😝
I feel this video, Julie! I think about the pacing of my work as much as pacing *in* my work, which is saying something (and not something good). I often rely on momentum--and it's so easy to lose it. And it's also so easy to let momentum pull you along frantically to the finish line, only to realize the journey was a rushed mess and not really worth it. Like when you are traveling in a car, and you see something exciting, but by the time you alert the driver, whoosh, it's gone forever.
I guess I just need to find a pace where I'm moving at a nice clip but not being drug (dragged? whatever) past the things I am meant to see or find along the way.
And you are right about invisible progress, too. It's like that Edison quote, "I have not failed 10,000 times—I've successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work." Each try is a learning opportunity. And, at least for me, sometimes I need to make the same mistake many times before I realize I'm making it.
😂
I'll remind you that momentum is made up of tiny moments, it's right there in the word, which I JUST REALIZED RIGHT THIS SECOND. I have a post coming soon about this, about momentum! I've been thinking about it a lot too.
🤯 How have I never noticed that? Semantic satiation, maybe. Love that!