Steve Pavlina explains that the method he’d been taught in school—a highly structured writing process of organizing what to say before it’s written—tends to produce dull writing, but starting from enthusiasm results in articles which are a pleasure to write and are apt to be more fun and memorable to read.
Inspirational energy has a half life of about 24 hours. If I act on an idea immediately (or at least within the first few hours), I feel optimally motivated, and I can surf that wave of energy all the way to clicking “Publish.” If I sit on an idea for one day, I feel only half as inspired by it, and I have to paddle a lot more to get it done. If I sit on it for 2 days, the inspiration level has dropped by 75%, and for all practical purposes, the idea is dead. If I try to write it at that point, it feels like pulling teeth. It’s much better for me to let it go and wait for a fresh wave. There will always be another wave, so there’s no need to chase the ones I missed.
This looks like PJ Eby territory—it’s about the importance of pleasure as a motivator.
Writing and enthusiasm
Steve Pavlina explains that the method he’d been taught in school—a highly structured writing process of organizing what to say before it’s written—tends to produce dull writing, but starting from enthusiasm results in articles which are a pleasure to write and are apt to be more fun and memorable to read.
This looks like PJ Eby territory—it’s about the importance of pleasure as a motivator.