I used to think I was getting better.
I was writing daily, I had a longish streak going, and I felt a twinge of satisfaction when I'd see my triple-digit collection grow.
But, I wasn't the best. Plenty of people had writing streaks 10x as long as mine. Then, of course, there are the actual writers who have probably written daily for 40 years. I'll just never catch them; so what game am I playing?
What happened recently that made taking a break feel so right? I wasn't burned out. I wasn't really using up time that I'd better employ elsewhere. I guess I thought I'd stop writing and see what happens. I did.
And guess what?
Nothing much happened.
Reflecting on it now, I'm reminded of the anti-marijuana commercials of the 80s that show a guy in his 30s playing video games on the couch. You hear his mom in the background complaining he needs to get a job or something.
"If you smoke marijuana, nothing much will happen." the ad stated. Then, it reinforced the message, to convince you that your life wouldn't amount to much, and you'd still be living in your parent's basement.
That feels a lot like a writing streak. Break your streak on purpose and not much will happen.
I was writing daily, I had a longish streak going, and I felt a twinge of satisfaction when I'd see my triple-digit collection grow.
But, I wasn't the best. Plenty of people had writing streaks 10x as long as mine. Then, of course, there are the actual writers who have probably written daily for 40 years. I'll just never catch them; so what game am I playing?
What happened recently that made taking a break feel so right? I wasn't burned out. I wasn't really using up time that I'd better employ elsewhere. I guess I thought I'd stop writing and see what happens. I did.
And guess what?
Nothing much happened.
Reflecting on it now, I'm reminded of the anti-marijuana commercials of the 80s that show a guy in his 30s playing video games on the couch. You hear his mom in the background complaining he needs to get a job or something.
"If you smoke marijuana, nothing much will happen." the ad stated. Then, it reinforced the message, to convince you that your life wouldn't amount to much, and you'd still be living in your parent's basement.
That feels a lot like a writing streak. Break your streak on purpose and not much will happen.
