Launching things...

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Torn World goes live on Friday (Friday!!), and I'm gnawing off my fingernails!

New projects are certainly fun, but they seem to get bigger and scarier the closer you get to the starting line. (Seriously, 2010 seemed sooooo far away when I arbitrarily decided on it...) What is on your general checklist for launching a new project? What are your tips on coping with the stress? Do you suffer fear of failure, too?

I'll work on my own answers to these questions later today, but thought I'd throw that out for discussion. :)

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>>What is on your general checklist for launching a new project?<<

I usually make a specific list for major projects, and those don't have a lot in common. If anyone else is involved, I check to make sure they know their parts. I proofread things again. I get ready for promotion.

>> What are your tips on coping with the stress?<<

Remember to do some stuff not related to the project. Get enough to eat and sleep.

>> Do you suffer fear of failure, too?<<

Only on rare occasions. Most big projects I do are either things I'm confident about, or things that someone else is primarily responsible for. On a smaller scale, failure is a natural and necessary part of growing. If you're not making any mistakes, then you're not learning, you're coasting.

[zeeth_kyrah]

I tend to chew the scenery, not myself.

[shadowsculptor.livejournal.com]

I most certainly get jitters sometimes when I think of going live with my project (which is set for a month or so from now), wondering if it will be a quality enough piece of work to draw viewers, wondering if my story/art is crap, etc. I have a terrible time with being satisfied with my art/writing-- I usually think it's terrible, unprofessional, badly paced, etc. (I surprised myself the other day by looking at a finished drawing and telling myself with full honesty, "I like this!") The fear of failure is present, because of the fact that I've experienced it before (during a rather extended attempt at freelancing my art). I seem to have gotten a second wind, however, in recent months, which I am grateful for.

Also, I just create because I am compelled to. It's in my blood. If I didn't, I'd wither away and die, and that is not an exaggeration.

A general checklist? I take the time to sit down and plan possibilities and necessities, visualize what the finished product will look like, find an outlet for it all (i.e., web site builder, etc), spend time on scripting and character art, and then dive in. I've learned that I tend to nitpick the details too much, which leads to long-term procrastination. I'm learning to balance creating a solid plan with the decided implementation of that plan, which often will take on a life of its own.

As far as stress goes, whether overall or creativity-related (and often they will intertwine, especially when you're working a full-time "mundane" job while trying to keep up with self-imposed deadlines), I find that taking a moment to breathe, go for a walk, stepping away from a malfunctioning computer program that keeps crashing or freezing, listening to music, or even a few moments of meditation will often help. Honestly, I have more problems with laziness than I do with stress-- *laughs* To counter that, I try to give myself certain schedules and deadlines, and I've started an accomplishment log as suggested by haikujaguar in her blog.