Rants and Riffs: Installment #4–Tips for failure

So, here I am and I am clearly in need of a new look for drafts in MacJournal…

There—that’s better. Charter Roman…I like it.

Giving in to meaningless font-focused distractions prompts me to share a few more tips on how to fail at this writing thing.

1. Have a dog. For a less-fettered path to failure, get one with a clear opinion of his superiority over any digital device.

dog with chin resting on iPad mini

2. Live in a locale with great weather. That sun just pulls me away, with each wavelength of radiant flux** reminding me that: A. I need vitamin D B. camping out in front of a screen is a waste of valuable daylight.

3. Own a DVR. But if you ARE going to sit in front of a screen and waste valuable daylight, you might as well be catching up on [insert favorite cable series here].

4. Keep your most valuable insights and creations on a plethora of notebooks scattered throughout the universe.

These aren't strewn throughout the house, but you get the idea.
piles of notebooks

5. Nurture a lifelong interest in sports. [Diabolical ESPN.com opens on its own, I swear.] Checking for croquet updates is thus inevitable, followed by an all-too-convenient point-and-click side trip to your favorite croqueter’s profile.

**Another tip for failure: Find it imperative to research how sunlight is measure.

Writers Horoscope for November 16: You couldn’t help yourself.

Writing projects…coming at you from all sides.

coming at your from all sides

Most of them half-completed. [if you’re lucky].

Let’s hope you’re taking yesterday’s dealing with guilt advice to heart.

But there’s still work to do.

Sort out the three or four ‘loudest’, most insistent projects.

And get back to scheduling.

Give each of them at least 15 minutes.

[You and I both know those sessions will stretch to 25 or 30 minutes.]

You will see real progress and, even more important, you can sleep soundly knowing these projects are no longer collecting psychic dust.