I had a specific plan in doing a 24 hour comic (http://www.24hourcomicsday.com/) - specifically, challenging myself to do bad work. Completion over quality!
Why?
Because when I fall, I fall at the first hurdle, that's why.
There are a lot of benefits to planning projects properly (my go-to position). You get to Get It Right The First Time. You also Save Time in the Long Run. But if you can't get the plan sorted properly... splat! Down goes the whole thing - that's the first hurdle. That bit that comes after the plan. The doing-bit.
So I did a 24 hour comic to see if I could finish something with no plan at all - not just drawing it, but tracking it, uploading it, the works. And I did! And guess what? The comic is really pretty bad. But it's done! Yay!
Here it is: http://bit.ly/acHpxB
Things I learned from doing this
1. Set-up times still exist when you're working at high speed.
As a setting-up fan I always figured they were somehow optional/something I could not do if I chose, but no - turns out, even at break-neck speed there's still times involved here.
2. Pre-existing knowledge counts. A lot.
This would be impossible if I couldn't draw a bit first, but *equally* if I hadn't messed around with Tumblr before.
3. The urge to fiddle with things gets stronger the closer the finishing line is
I think this might be because the finishing line is scary - as long as it's incomplete, it can be fixed. Once it's out there, no chance - it will be it's own fairly poor thing. Submitting is *hard*, even when the goal is poor work.
4. I can drag a theme out of thin air if I have to
Surprise talent! I didn't script a word of the comic - just made it up page by page. But my buddy tells me it *looks* scripted, so, I'm happy with that.
5. Maudlin is really hard to avoid actually
I really hate the page where the two figments tease me. It is so twee & saccharine (but I couldn't use a replacement page, so I'm stuck with it). I did it because it was easy - twee is totally easy.
6. Everything takes longer than you think
The comic took ages. So did this post, actually. I keep editing it.
7. Stopping and not editing any more is hard
But, as a skill, it *can* be learned. I'll show you, ready?
It's like this:
Posts
This is very cool.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think you're right to identify the 'failing at the first hurdle' thing as the problem. (Why do I think that? I'm *exactly* the same.)
This is a real Vannevar Bush thing, I guess. In the World Wide Memex, the trails remain. Who wants to leave a trail of half-finished projects?
Now, it's time to seize your golden ratio by the horns and get on with your fancy blog...
:)
Heh. Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? A whole month of (much the) same thing - what could be better? :-)
ReplyDeleteThat was fun... you wrote it as you went, but it's easy to see a narrative in there.
ReplyDeleteYou confused me a bit, though, by mentioning Tumblr in the accompanying post. At which point did you use Tumblr?
The "failing at the first hurdle" thing is an ongoing problem for me... except in the case of my nanowrimo novel of a couple of years back (3+ years, actually.), wherein I managed the 50,000 words, but have stalled out completely on writing the rest, despite really wanting to.
I combat it by tricking myself. I created a website called www.elephantwords.co.uk with the intention of forcing myself to write at least one thing a week, and that's done well, but it's ruined me for writing anything else!
Hey Nick!
ReplyDeleteMy husband actually finished a complete crime novel by writing online - if he quit for too long, his online readership bugged him long enough for him to start again :) (And that was in the *early* 2000s!)
Oh, also - did you know Nolan went to UCL, and puts a UCL set in all of his movies? The lecture theatre in Inception is a UCL one. BTW. (Husband teaches there and can/will verify.)
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty bloody cool. And damn your husband for actually finishing his novel!
ReplyDelete(By damn I mean APPLAUD!)