Crowdfunding: Connecting Creators and Patrons

>> I do like the parallels. I liked the sprawling experience of creating this and the way it insisted on breaking out of the vague format at the end, <<

Yay!

>> but I also want to experiment with more-disciplined writing. <<

Forms are good for that. Any kind of form poetry, but also fiction forms such as drabbles or epistolary fiction.

>> I think mostly I just need to write more. These creative jams have been great for getting me to say, "Well, I just have to write *something* and get it posted" and letting myself do it. <<

Yay! That's it exactly. Good practice makes good progress. It doesn't have to be perfect. Write something, polish it, learn from it.

If you post it, then you have opportunities to learn from feedback as well as your own observations. For example, the gender poem clearly works even if its technical finesse could be better. Technical stuff is fixable.

>> Really, I'm not managing my spoons super well recently, <<

Bummer.

>> but honestly I think I am better than average at spoon-allocating <<

This may be true. Modern life is not very healthy; demands often exceed resources, and that is why so many people are unwell and unhappy.

>> and have more of a challenge given how easily I can make a plan and then be dragged off of it by hyperfocus, lack of focus, sleepiness, lack of sleep, among other things. Gah. <<

:/

>> If I want to *be a writer* (and I do) I have to *write.* <<

This is true. For several years in junior high and high school, I wrote a poem every weekday and passed it around to people willing to look at it. Another time, I was writing classes for an online school, and it just got to where whacking out several thousand words of nonfiction just didn't seem like much work anymore.

>> The trouble is, I want to be so *many* things every day; it's hard to prioritize,<<

One way to handle this is to prioritize different things on different days. For example, you might cook from scratch one night a week, visit a gym on MWF, and aim to fit in one social event per week as opportunities permit. The Creative Jam is great for writing because it happens on one weekend a month. So you could prioritize that weekend for writing, and then think about other ways to fit some writing time into your schedule on a weekly basis -- such as trying to write one small thing a week, or blocking out a few hours here and there.

>> and people look at me funny for my priorities, which is nonsense and I know it but still it's exhausting nonsense. And I get tired and distracted a lot. <<

Those are pesky. First, people who don't support your goals are not the best to have in your life. Try to find people who are more supportive. Remove or replace, or at least reduce the time with, those who are not. Sometimes it helps to find some affirmations or other phrases that you can repeat, not only to yourself, but also to other people. If you are making schedules or goals, try telling people about those: "I can't chat right now, because this time is slated for writing. If you want to chat, I haven't filled my social slot for the week and you can be that. Let's make a time for it." People who refuse to respect your schedule are really not good for you. If you can't avoid them, at least be aware that they are not your friends.

>> BUT I WANT TO WRITE. So I'm writing. I blog a lot! <<

Blogging is good practice.

>> The question is, *what* am I writing and how does it compare to what I want to be writing? <<

What is most important to you? What do you want to accomplish with writing? Those will help you decide what to write.

Try writing different sizes of things. Small things are easier to fit into a busy schedule and to finish, but may require more skill to do well because there's so little room. Larger things give you more room to develop ideas, but take longer to complete and require more skill with organization.

>> And how does that fit with the rest of my life - with trying to juggle chores and job and socializing and love and family and gardening and home-making and emotional support for others and authentic self-expression and smashing anxiety-inducing paperwork to pieces and exercise and cooking and gaming and reading and, just, EVERYTHING?<<

You can write about any of those things which you value, and then you're killing two birds with one stone. You cannot do everything all of the time. You can probably do the things which are most important to you by shuffling them around so that you focus on each one at different times.