One of the pitfalls of staying in
school for many years is the dependence on deadlines set by others.
What, you might be saying, is
wrong with that? It’s a preparation for work life in general and makes John and
Jill good boys and girls. Right?
But here’s my take. It also
creates a dependence on others to get things done.
I know writers who sign up for
writing challenges and join groups that insist on certain timed output. I know
musicians who need competitions to get them going on learning new repertoire
and practice . I know painters who need a set exhibit date to complete a set
number of new works, etc.
Without this external pacing, many
people just fall apart and lose the map. The trail becomes blurry and a sense
of being lost takes over only to deepen unless they latch on to yet another
organizer who gives them deadlines once again.
I have come to see it differently.
It took reaching my late twenties before I got that monkey off my back. I
learned what pace works for me and why only this way of working sets me free.
Sure, I meet deadlines all the
time. But I don’t need them to create.
You won’t find me anywhere near
NaNoWriMo or the 12 by12 challenge and their ilk. Maybe because I didn’t stay
in school as long as many I know, I don’t need this sort of assigned homework.
Life tells me when I’m needed, and I tell my days what I need from them in
return.
3 comments:
This is so true for me, Mirka. I never made the connection that it might be because I stayed in school so long. But as I grow older, I am more able to do things at my own pace, which tends to be slow.
I do find that a contest or other deadline can motivate me to write and submit. Something else that school does that the outside world doesn't is positive feedback. When I entered the work world, I was surprised to find that you never got praise, only criticism.
Generally, I don't find I create my best work when I'm working towards a self-imposed deadline. Those writing group deadlines also cause me to compare myself with other writers too much. Although I have had deadlines for magazine work, which is a different story.
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