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Thinking At The Keyboard
Apr. 7th, 2004 07:44 pmIt's nearly 8pm and I'm in the office. Why? Because I'm trying to get some freelance work finished. Lorna suggested that I try working in the office rather than at home, so I could get a good chunk done before enduring London's public transport system, and so we didn't distract each other. It's working, actually. The last couple of evenings have been more productive than most weekends of late.
But it still isn't easy. The old "3k a night, 15k for a weekend" productivity has shown no reliable signs of returning.
Part of it is the type of work I've been getting. Back when Hunter and Demon were the heart of my writing work, I was doing large amounts of fiction, with some supporting game material, and some occasional research-based stuff for other lines. Boy, I loved freelancing then. I had a great time doing it. When I strayed away from that sort of material, I tended to struggle to do the work (Exalted Storyteller's Companion springs to mind)
Now, I'm doing all setting, world-building and rules.
Frankly, this is not my strength.
I tell stories. That's what I do. Sometimes I tell complete stories, in my journalistic or fiction work. Sometime I tell open-ended stories for the gaming work. That's what I like doing, though. Telling stories. That's my strength. Even in my photography, I try to tell stories, constructing photo essays about a place, or an event.
This hit me when I was proof reading my editor's comment for the next issue of GRID. The comment actually works together the various features to tell a story, the story of the issue if you like. Terry Pratchett, an ex-journalist himself, summed up the nature of much journalism in his recent book The Monstrous Regiment. One of the characters remarked that the newspaper report of the events she was involved with had taken a series of occurrences and made them into a story. That, in effect, is what good journalists do.
My recent assignments have not played to my strengths. That's partially my own fault, for not understanding those strengths and playing to them. I miss telling stories. Do you know how much I miss characters? I haven't created or written a character since I worked on the Dark Ages Inquisitor Companion over six months ago. Boy, do I miss characters.
However, now I really understand what's going on. I'm struggling to get my gaming stuff done not because I'm burned out, or because my move to married life has made time less available or even because my growing responsibility at work leaves me tired, but because I'm not enjoying it. This isn't fun, this is work. I've got a day job, one that pays well enough that freelancing isn't a necessity. I don't need more work in the evenings and at the weekends.
So, my three point plan:
1. Take a long break
2. Decide if I ever want to write for the gaming industry again
3. Be much more selective about the amount and nature of the work I accept in future
In the meantime, I just need to get this done. And done soon.
But it still isn't easy. The old "3k a night, 15k for a weekend" productivity has shown no reliable signs of returning.
Part of it is the type of work I've been getting. Back when Hunter and Demon were the heart of my writing work, I was doing large amounts of fiction, with some supporting game material, and some occasional research-based stuff for other lines. Boy, I loved freelancing then. I had a great time doing it. When I strayed away from that sort of material, I tended to struggle to do the work (Exalted Storyteller's Companion springs to mind)
Now, I'm doing all setting, world-building and rules.
Frankly, this is not my strength.
I tell stories. That's what I do. Sometimes I tell complete stories, in my journalistic or fiction work. Sometime I tell open-ended stories for the gaming work. That's what I like doing, though. Telling stories. That's my strength. Even in my photography, I try to tell stories, constructing photo essays about a place, or an event.
This hit me when I was proof reading my editor's comment for the next issue of GRID. The comment actually works together the various features to tell a story, the story of the issue if you like. Terry Pratchett, an ex-journalist himself, summed up the nature of much journalism in his recent book The Monstrous Regiment. One of the characters remarked that the newspaper report of the events she was involved with had taken a series of occurrences and made them into a story. That, in effect, is what good journalists do.
My recent assignments have not played to my strengths. That's partially my own fault, for not understanding those strengths and playing to them. I miss telling stories. Do you know how much I miss characters? I haven't created or written a character since I worked on the Dark Ages Inquisitor Companion over six months ago. Boy, do I miss characters.
However, now I really understand what's going on. I'm struggling to get my gaming stuff done not because I'm burned out, or because my move to married life has made time less available or even because my growing responsibility at work leaves me tired, but because I'm not enjoying it. This isn't fun, this is work. I've got a day job, one that pays well enough that freelancing isn't a necessity. I don't need more work in the evenings and at the weekends.
So, my three point plan:
1. Take a long break
2. Decide if I ever want to write for the gaming industry again
3. Be much more selective about the amount and nature of the work I accept in future
In the meantime, I just need to get this done. And done soon.
