Planning to Succeed
October 30, 1998
6:05 a.m.
A couple days ago I sat down and planned out what I would write for the rest of the calendar year. I decided to rewrite "Visions", and then move into "Sacrifices . . . " (retitled "The Distant Wail of an Infant Awakened"--totally non-pretentious, eh?), then to a minor rewrite of another story, then to the new one I've struggled with. Then there's space for a couple others until we hit Thanksgiving, when I look at starting another novel--probably book 2 of the Garrick series, but this too may pass. I find the schedule has really helped my attitude and my productivity. Having this level of plan helps me break things down into smaller pieces and lets me look at a daily target that's achievable rather than a tidal wave of stuff to do that seems neverending. The problem, of course, is that is is neverending. I'm constantly adding new stuff to my plan, building onto the end or piling material on in parallel. That's okay, though. Having this breakout actually makes it easier to add more stuff. I know where the cracks are in my schedule, know what weeks I can expect to get more out of myself. This morning I finished the rewrite of " . . . Distant Wail . . . . " I'm essentially a day behind in my plan. Oh, well. Plans are made to be broken, of course. I tell folks at work that when we're done with a plan, we've just made certain that it won't happen the way we laid it out! But I've successfully "completed" two stories (this last one still needs a few fresh eyes and Lisa's copy edit before I'll call it really complete) at least partially because of this plan, so I think it's been a successful cycle. And I'll lay you odds that I'm back on schedule in two or three days. You see, I built a little contingency pad into the next section of the plan--just in case something else came along.  Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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"The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise and is not preceded by a period of worry and depression." John Preston, Boston College |
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