Just Writing About Just Writing…

So I think I’ve finally decided once and for all to stop wasting time (or at least taking it for granted) working on smaller projects that mean very little to me in the long term and start focusing my efforts on the big one that does. It’s all I ever really wanted to do and why I was working on the smaller ones to support it in the first place.

Well, I’m ready and able now to start working on it, but since it requires its own site, I needed to find something to regularly publish here at Michael Island Works, my primary site. It needed to be something I could do in thirty minutes or less, so I could keep a daily schedule. It needed to be something interesting to others, so I could earn lots of bookmarkers. It needed to be relevant to my big project, so I could talk about it and build interest. And it needed to be something I would actually enjoy doing, otherwise I knew I’d never do it — at least not regularly, and fresh content is the key to a successful website.

Believe it or not, considering the above problems, the hardest to solve was the last one. So it wasn’t until after I had thought of several topics and hundreds of sub-topics that I realized I’d never decide on one interesting enough to work on daily for the indefinite future. I had to find a way to work on all of them. That’s when I dreamed up this idea, which I’m calling “Just Writing.” It’s basically a typical blog, one with no strictly defined topic, just expressing everyday thoughts — which is somewhat ironic since I was intending to work on a more serious and involved, bigger and more important project.

I’m calling it “Just Writing” for two reasons: 1) For someone who thinks of himself primarily as a writer, I don’t write very much at all; And 2) I may be able to work with changing subjects and themes, but I can’t publish my thoughts at random, stream-of-consciousness style. It has to be publishable words, organized thoughts, complete sentences, stylized paragraphs, and so on… Otherwise, as far as I’m concerned, I believe I should just keep my thoughts to myself. Writing is communication, after all.

Will I be able to focus on my big project and not get distracted by smaller ones? I doubt it, if the past is any indication, and it usually is. So I’ll probably keep writing articles and short stories and other things. I’ll probably keep creating images and sharing 3D models and CG resources. Basically, nothing will change except I’ll be writing more short and opinionated blog posts and working more on my bigger project.

Can I do this in thirty minutes or less? Probably not. But it turns out it’s something I need to do. I need to write more, to get back to the mental state it demands, and to get better at it. So it’s worth a little extra time to me, especially if I’m also working on my bigger project. See, whether I’m working on it or not, it’s all about the bigger project for me.

Can I keep my writing relevant to the bigger project I’m working on, so I can promote it simultaneously? Of course. I’m only going to write about what I’m interested in and my bigger project is full of all the things I’m interested in. Plus, it builds interest in myself as a creator, which leads to interest in what I’m creating. And someday soon, when I’m ready to launch my bigger project, I’ll already have a forum in which to discuss it.

For Offline Viewing, Download PDF Versions Of All “Just Writing” Posts Here...

Will it be interesting to others? I think so, but I don’t know for sure. My interests are very broad — books, music, movies, TV series, sports, philosophy, 2D and especially 3D graphics, politics, religion, etc. — so more than likely some people will be interested in some of my posts and others will be interested in others. I’ve been making websites and communicating on the Internet long enough to know that that’s how it works.

Unlike usual, I’ll just (try very hard to) keep it simple. I’ll simply wake up everyday, live my rich, media-centered lifestyle, write 500 words or more on whatever interests me the most, and let Google sort out the rest.

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Michael Island