Writing is hard
June 7, 2012If you ever think “I want to be a writer” or “I want to write a book” then I have the giant secret that everyone is keeping from you that will enable you do to just that.
Write.
Um, yeah. That is it. I hear other authors talk about “butt in chair” time. Sometimes what you write is not awesome. If you wanted to play a piano sonata in front of your friends and family, do you think you’d expect to walk up there and do it? Or do you think you’d have to practice and practice? Writing is the same. Get over it. You put your time in and eventually (eventually!) you get something out of it.
Unfortunately, I find that I get tired of writing. Oh, I know, you think I program computers and that is totally different. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to phrase something when I’m programming, how to make the comments instructive and useful while still being short, and how to build from detail to big picture.
For me, the skills are similar to writing. Which is why after working all day, I’m not blogging. During the trip, it was extremely relaxing to write. Now, it is kind of a chore. I don’t plan to give up my blog but I’ve got exciting new things happening and contract job that has a crazy deadline. Between them (and the update to Plants vs Zombies), I’m not getting any writing done here on the blog.
It isn’t a lack of ideas, just a lack of oomph.
To distract you, let me show you what C has been up to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stoneymonster
Those great photos of the venus transit (and the awesome eclipse one!) also represent hours and hours of work. And it isn’t only the work of setting the telescope up and pushing the button every few minutes to get a new shot while sitting in the sun. Each picture needs to be evaluated and some of them need adjustments to highlight the cool stuff.
With butt in chair, he’s doing photography. As well as programming. Which also has an oddly large crossover with photography.