18 comments

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  JNez

  1 year ago

  good advice to help through something we all experience at one time or another. i'm with you, i write for today only. when i don't feel it, i don't feel it. but then i look at last month's archives and feel the pressure to produce. i know it will come though...
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  Corvida

  1 year ago

  That pressure can be such a negative thing sometimes. That's why I only pay attention to the what's going on now, not what's of the past. It tends to ease some of the pressure for me.
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  Anthony Farrior

  1 year ago

  Oh, that's what happened! Good to see you back first of all and Second, good points on how to get the fire back. Imho, it seems you read points you chose not to follow: Writing a post about anything and writing multiple posts when the the fire is there so when it goes out, your audience isn't aware of it. Mental exercises such as forcing yourself to write puts you in places never seen. Look at Duncan he feels and writes like he's relieved not to write about tech 24/7. It's like getting eye strain from staring at one thing. Sometimes you have to look at the wall, then your finger....Mix it up sometimes :)
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  Corvida

  1 year ago

  Saw your blog post too lol I could never be mad at your opinions. They're always good.
  
  But please explain what you mean by "it seems you read points you chose not to follow"
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  Anthony Farrior

  1 year ago

  [foot in mouth] I didn't know how to say "here's some additional points"?
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  Corvida

  1 year ago

  lol you just did silly man! My fire was flickering though. I'm slowly rekindling it back to life. :) I'll try to take your advice though.
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  Duncan Riley

  1 year ago

  "My biggest problem was having nothing to say that hadn’t already been said"
  I know that problem...I could probably produce 20 posts a day if I ignored that. Finding new things though can be fun in itself.
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  Corvida

  1 year ago

  So how have you been finding new things? What steps have you taken? Got a blog post about it? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
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  Phil Glockner

  1 year ago

  Glad to see you back, Corvida. Hope your batteries are recharged and you have the fire to blog again. I can definitely empathize with the ennui and burnout you have been experiencing -- I went through a similar issue with an old tech support job. Believe me, if you ever get burned out doing phone support, you never want to go back to it again.
  
  In fact, that has become a source of motivation for me. Whenever I feel myself stalling out a bit, I think, well, you can always fall back on tech support. That usually snaps me out of it.
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  robdiana

  1 year ago

  Corvida, I have been going through the same thing lately. It took a financial times article (go figure) to get me motivated again. I think the hard is juggling multiple priorities, and feeling like you need to post something on the blog. I felt like I was letting down my readers.
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  Corvida

  1 year ago

  Same here man. I do feel like I'm letting down my readers.
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  shafqat

  1 year ago

  Great post, glad you're still around and looking forward to more of your writing. Motivation ebbs and flows, and the candle analogy is great. Sometimes it burns bright, and other times its becomes a tiny little flame which you have to nurture and care for by putting your hands around it and gently bringing it back to the full flame. You were just going through the nurturing phase, and now the candle should burn brigther than ever.
  
  Sometimes the best ideas come when you're not looking for them...
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  Mark Dykeman

  1 year ago

  Loved this post. "Converse on the phone" isn't a tip that you hear very often and it's a good one. Could be supplemented by "converse in person" if possible.
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  Corvida

  1 year ago

  Very true. I just find that real time chat where you can hear the voice and the emotions behind it, it has the potential to help you brainstorm and make things "click". When I talk to someone about an idea I can get more feedback, and I find it easier to brainstorm when I talk out loud rather than talking in my head.
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  Phil Glockner

  1 year ago

  You know, that got me thinking. I think that's where I differ from a lot of people.. I never socialized well in high school and earlier (typical geek, I guess), so when I started using BBSs back in the 80s, it really was a crash education in interacting with other people. It was almost exclusively through BBS messages or chat, and some phone, but hardly ever in person.
  
  In time, I picked up the ability to 'read' people by looking at their face, but it was definitely very, very late coming for me. As a result, I am perfectly comfortable interacting online, and maybe even more than on the phone. And I still don't do big groups well, but SXSW was fun. I'm getting there.
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  Avatar

  1 year ago

  ahh. so that is what happened.. i was wondering what had been of you.
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  juliadesigns

  1 year ago

  I am not good on the phone...I struggle with real time conversations when I cant see people and read their body language...sounds a bit silly I know, but IM petrifies me and I always get my OH to answer the phone. I love talking online in blog comments, twitter friendfeed and forums because it isnt instant and gives me time to collect my thoughts I expect.
  I always have great ideas for blog posts when I am busy doing something else and think oh yes i'll say that, do this and then when I do get a minute to spare, I cant remember these fab ideas!!
  Perhaps I should carry round an old fashioned notepad and pen and scribble my thoughts down as I get them so I can use them later...novel idea or what?? lol!!
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  Corvida

  1 year ago

  Ah yes, I have conversations all the time with great ideas and then forget them as soon as I hang up the phone. I'm starting to think that maybe I should record my phone calls sometimes.
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