Traditionally, I am horrible for establishing a good habit. I decided with some trepidation to start keeping a journal in mid 2022 using a micro habit technique to make sure I showed up at the computer for the journal. I decided on a ridiculously simple minimum task to accomplish daily: write the date and what time I woke up and what time I went to bed:
Monday, January 1, 2024
Up at 7:00am
to bed at 11:30pm
That is all. Then if I can write something in between great, if not, don't worry about it.
Those were my rules. I was only require to show up about 30 seconds twice a day.
with those rules I have been able to continue at this point for over two years. I have established the habit. That is the main thing. If I am traveling or am out of sorts I might miss a day or two but that is very rare at this point.
I got cocky and started this year with the intent to write an average of 500 words a day. If all days are included I am currently at about 375 words per day 7 days a week. If I count it as 5 work days a week - which is more kind to myself - my average is 518 words a day. This comes out today to 96,000 words. This is all kept in a Word document and it is always open in my office on my desktop computer. So I would say I am doing pretty good! Looking back at the Jan 1 2024 entry I referenced https://brevitymag.com/ as inspiration for writing very short stories. I haven't really done that but I have written a lot of articles and poetry for my substack page. So that's my report. (301 words)
I really enjoyed reading this. Especially about the French writing retreat where you didn’t write. The 500 words works well for me when I can stop procrastinating long enough to actually get words on the page. I write with a fountain pen and type up and add bits as I type. I have no idea how many words until I type. I try not to obsess about it. Roughly 500 words.
Scrivener sounds like it would do my head in. I’m curious about Ulysses, mostly because I love shiny new things.
Congratulations for finishing the beetle story! This is really great!
Also I can totally understand why you might have problems with introducing yourself as… what? I think the problem might be that it is not about what you do, but what you identify with. Or rather what image you’ve created of yourself ages ago (and still clinging onto it).
In school I was always the kid that could draw. That was basically it. I wasn’t good at sports or maths or whatever. But I could draw a decent tree or copy some nude sketches by Klimt that I’ve found in a book. I could impress some girls (which was great) and also some boys (Even the ones who were good at sports). So I kinda let it define myself and become my identity. Which led me to become an illustrator.
Problem is, that even after I ˋve written over 20 books and haven’t illustrated much in the past few years, I still have a hard time introducing myself as an author, because I think of myself as an illustrator first. It’s really hard to adjust that image that I have created for myself all those years ago.
Does that make sense?
Anyway. I think you should be introduced as illustrator AND author AND educator AND designer AND comic artist and talk about all of your rich creative output and maybe share some advice on how to actually give yourself the freedom to transition from one creative field to another.
Hey Patrick. You’re totally right. In fact a few years ago when I was first wondering why I wasn’t getting non-childrens-book work anymore I asked a friend, an art director, about it. She told me first that even SHE didn’t know I did stuff other than kids books. And then she asked me how i introduce myself like at artsy gatherings or whatever. Well of course the answer was “Childrens book illustrator.”
She suggested to try just using illustrator, or better yet, yes, illustrator author and designer.
Man she was 100% right.
I know most people come to my Substack because of the drawing so when I write about writing I sometimes feel I have to throw that caveat.
Thanks - I’ll be getting stuff to you next week by the way.
Traditionally, I am horrible for establishing a good habit. I decided with some trepidation to start keeping a journal in mid 2022 using a micro habit technique to make sure I showed up at the computer for the journal. I decided on a ridiculously simple minimum task to accomplish daily: write the date and what time I woke up and what time I went to bed:
Monday, January 1, 2024
Up at 7:00am
to bed at 11:30pm
That is all. Then if I can write something in between great, if not, don't worry about it.
Those were my rules. I was only require to show up about 30 seconds twice a day.
with those rules I have been able to continue at this point for over two years. I have established the habit. That is the main thing. If I am traveling or am out of sorts I might miss a day or two but that is very rare at this point.
I got cocky and started this year with the intent to write an average of 500 words a day. If all days are included I am currently at about 375 words per day 7 days a week. If I count it as 5 work days a week - which is more kind to myself - my average is 518 words a day. This comes out today to 96,000 words. This is all kept in a Word document and it is always open in my office on my desktop computer. So I would say I am doing pretty good! Looking back at the Jan 1 2024 entry I referenced https://brevitymag.com/ as inspiration for writing very short stories. I haven't really done that but I have written a lot of articles and poetry for my substack page. So that's my report. (301 words)
This content would be so much better with more cats.
I really enjoyed reading this. Especially about the French writing retreat where you didn’t write. The 500 words works well for me when I can stop procrastinating long enough to actually get words on the page. I write with a fountain pen and type up and add bits as I type. I have no idea how many words until I type. I try not to obsess about it. Roughly 500 words.
Scrivener sounds like it would do my head in. I’m curious about Ulysses, mostly because I love shiny new things.
Congratulations for finishing the beetle story! This is really great!
Also I can totally understand why you might have problems with introducing yourself as… what? I think the problem might be that it is not about what you do, but what you identify with. Or rather what image you’ve created of yourself ages ago (and still clinging onto it).
In school I was always the kid that could draw. That was basically it. I wasn’t good at sports or maths or whatever. But I could draw a decent tree or copy some nude sketches by Klimt that I’ve found in a book. I could impress some girls (which was great) and also some boys (Even the ones who were good at sports). So I kinda let it define myself and become my identity. Which led me to become an illustrator.
Problem is, that even after I ˋve written over 20 books and haven’t illustrated much in the past few years, I still have a hard time introducing myself as an author, because I think of myself as an illustrator first. It’s really hard to adjust that image that I have created for myself all those years ago.
Does that make sense?
Anyway. I think you should be introduced as illustrator AND author AND educator AND designer AND comic artist and talk about all of your rich creative output and maybe share some advice on how to actually give yourself the freedom to transition from one creative field to another.
I am definitely looking forward to it!
Hey Patrick. You’re totally right. In fact a few years ago when I was first wondering why I wasn’t getting non-childrens-book work anymore I asked a friend, an art director, about it. She told me first that even SHE didn’t know I did stuff other than kids books. And then she asked me how i introduce myself like at artsy gatherings or whatever. Well of course the answer was “Childrens book illustrator.”
She suggested to try just using illustrator, or better yet, yes, illustrator author and designer.
Man she was 100% right.
I know most people come to my Substack because of the drawing so when I write about writing I sometimes feel I have to throw that caveat.
Thanks - I’ll be getting stuff to you next week by the way.