On Again, Off Again - The Cycle of Good Intentions!

From time to time, I have written about the cyclical nature of creativity.

One of the challenges inherent in creativity having its ebbs and flows is the fact that our goals and aspirations also are affected by these ebbs and flows.

I'm thinking about this, in particular, because next month being November also means that it is NaNoWriMo. If you're not familiar with this, it is a month-long challenge to write everyday. Originally it was created for those who wanted to write a novel, but in more recent years it has branched out into a number of different formats, including one for those of us who write nonfiction.

There is even a version of this challenge here on Hive, called Hive Blog Posting Month where people are challenged to write a post every day during the month of November.

But, to get back on point, I have tried to participate in these challenges for many years and in the 15+ attempts I have made I have only succeeded once. This would be because I don't always find that my cycle of creativity coincides with when I need to write a lot of stuff.

I suppose there are those who would argue that it is all a matter of discipline. If you truly want to accomplish something you just make a point of doing it, whether you feel like it or not.

However, this is where my good intentions tend to run a foul of my desire to create something of reasonable value and quality. I could absolutely sit down and create some absolute drivel simply for the purpose of "putting words on a page," but that feels like an insult to the art of writing!

And yes, I do consider writing a creative art form of sorts.

That's the years go on by, I increasingly find myself skipping these sorts of challenges. My reasoning is that I don't really need to feel like I am failing because I can't produce work on a consistent basis.

It's a bit ironic that I write this, because I have often given the general advice to writers that the best way to develop your writing is to sit down and write something every day.

However, there is a considerable difference between sitting down and writing something every day in a journal style where you can get away with absolute rubbish and nobody is any wiser, and sitting down and writing something that's actually going to be published every day.

Like many people, I have many good intentions!

It has been quite a challenge to learn that I should not set myself too many goals that require a great deal of consistency. Consistency is just not my friend! Consider, for example, if I were to accept something like a 3-month challenge of something... chances are that I would go weeks of doing absolutely nothing and then I would have weeks of creating more output than anybody could possibly imagine!

In the end, those of us who have a creative nature have to simply accept and embrace that we each have our own way of working and that way may not be the "commonly accepted" way of doing things.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!

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Created at 2023-10-19 01:42 PDT
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