My Latest Heresy: I Don't Want to Write Fulltime

Writing Progress Report Writing Progress Report

My Latest Heresy: I Don't Want to Write Fulltime

For the simple, selfish reason that I don't want to do *anything* fulltime. :-)

It might sound flighty, but it's how I do things (or don't). The results speak for themselves, I think. Since my last fulltime job in 1999, I've designed and developed The Journal versions 3, 4, and 5 (and beyond), including finding time to do bug-fixes and additional development within each release version–and providing daily customer support via email.

In that time I've also finished multiple video games in a variety of scopes (and abandoned a number of video game projects for various reasons). In that time I've written five novels and a silly number of short stories, plus a couple of nonfiction books. I taught myself photography. I'm (still) learning how to be an indie publisher. Currently, I'm also learning to paint (despite vowing not to).

I've often wondered (and probably more than once just on this blog) how much more successful, how much further along any given potential career track I would be by now if I could focus on just one thing for more than a few months. I would certainly get my software done sooner (The Journal 3 was 14 man-months spread over three years; The Journal 5 was 18 man-months spread over two years).

But, no, I tend to shift my focus almost seasonally.

I'm a programmer, a software developer (no, they're not the same thing), a writer, a game designer, a photographer, an indie publisher, and all those personal things that all of us are but often forget to mention when someone asks us, "So, what is it you do?": father, husband, brother, child, friend, neighbor, etc.

How do I fit it all in?

I don't.

Well, not every day. That would be impossible. Or, if possible, really grueling.

Thus, I tend to let my focus drift a bit.

I recognized the revolving nature of my interests and focus early in my professional career (AKA, the 1990′s). I was working fulltime then, so my job was something I had to do most of the week. But the rest of my time I would cycle through periods of programming, writing, and gaming. Some projects would cause one of those periods to stick around longer than normal, but there was always a revolution coming.

Hell, I don't even listen to the same music all the time. Just this year I've gone through European dance metal, punk music of the 1990′s and early 2K's, black metal, speed metal, techno and just today I've listened to both Blue October (Any Man in Amercia) and Against Me (White Crosses).

I don't know why I forget this basic fact of my personality every so often. Maybe because I still buy into the American idea of "doing" only one thing. Maybe because I'm still an optimist about myself and my future.

At the beginning of this year, I really thought I would spend all year writing and publishing.

I should have known better. :-)

I'm not being negative, or down on myself. This is more me being amused at myself. Admitting my foibles with a chuckle and a shake of my head. How could I not have known this was how it would go?

I should know better than make plans based on me doing the same thing, having the same focus, for more than six to nine months at a stretch.

I plan to pick up daily (or near-daily) writing next week, continuing through the end of 2011. But this won't be fulltime writing.

Instead, I will be targeting 1000-ish words per day. I can usually do that in about an hour to 90 minutes. This will allow me time to continue working on my new project for The Journal *and* get both Gunwitch and GoSH1 published before the end of the year. It should even be enough writing to finish one more novel before New Years, which would be cool.

When I start setting goals and making plans for 2012, I will try to keep all this in mind. But December has my birthday, and I get so excited about the New Year, so I'll probably bite off more than I can chew once again. :-)