For Writers Only: If you’re interested in how to write with AI as a supporting tool (not a co-author) for organisation and structure. Then check out mini-course “Notion for Novel Writing” I’ll keep updating this as I learn more.
Learning is aspirational.
Learning is a solution to a problem.
It’s much easier to get stuck in the first one.
To buy the course, the book, subscribe, follow, download.
And hoard.
Enjoy the easy dopamine,
and do still nothing.
They’re all impulse purchases until you finish them. They’re all broken promises to yourself. Little seeds of guilt.
Say No.
I’m not a guru.
I’m just a guy, talking to the internet.
About a book I’m supposed to be writing
But, you know what’s just as hard?
What I’ve learned after amassing a ton of discount Domestika Courses or Black Friday Udemy Bundles?
Saying “No” to yourself is hard.
Saying “No” to the Dreamer, so the Doer can actually get something done.
Because Dreaming is not Doing.
If you’re like me, more of a pot-plant balcony gardener looking to nurture a few select things within the limited space of a chaotic (but beautiful) life.
You need a filter.
You need to ask yourself:
Have I finished the first book?
Does this help me do that one thing?
No?
Then it’s No to this conference.
EVEN if it’s free.
Ironically, this one was called the Guru Conference.
No, I’m not making this shit up. Don’t give them your email address - you’ll regret it.
They emailed me 1-3 times a day.
At first I kept up. Then I read the subjects. Then the unreads piled up.
You can only listen to so many voices, so many angles, so many schticks.
Say No.
Saying “No” will save you hours.
Days. Weeks.
All the time you need to nibble away at a novel.
I’m also learning that focused learning comes from Doing.
Failing at your Doing leads you to targeted areas for learning.
If you reflect on why.
Do.
Fail.
Learn.
Repeat.
For your creativity, find your next bottleneck. Learn to overcome that one thing. Once you have, do the next one. For me it’s revisions, knowing what makes a scene and when it’s done.
Do.
Fail.
Learn.
Repeat.*
Focus is a habit, and it’s oh so easy to buy optimistic but ultimately distracting courses and books, that promise solutions.
But if we don’t finish them or we never apply them, then they’re just procrastination in disguise. Then we’re just wasting time again.
And not learning much of anything.
Gurus won’t take you to the promised land, only you will.
It’s a long journey, but you have to walk it.
Meander less by saying No.
*Funnily enough, I went to high school with Nic Haralambous, the author of Do. Fail. Learn. Repeat. Great guy, annoyingly successful.
One more guru, I’ve had his book for years.
For fans of my fiction, I’ll be splitting it out into a dedicated publication that lets me have more fun with it along the lines of what did with Dark Matter — all in good time however, it’s really busy right now.
Until next time — happy creating!
Zane