This blog is a bad idea.
Read moreHiatus
Alright. It’s time for a bit of a break.
Read moreOn Your Mark, Get Set, Go
There is a huge difference between sitting down to write a blog “today” or “this weekend” or “tonight” and sitting down to write a blog in the next 45 minutes. What is that difference you ask? Well, at the end of 45 minutes, you actually have a finished blog.
Read moreThe Blossoming of Fear
Up until about 11 or 12 years old, I loved roller coasters. Just about whatever it was, I’d ride it. I got to ride roller coasters every year, because the camp I went to every summer would take us on a field trip to Dorney Park. I rode Steel Force. Which meant I could ride just about anything.
Read moreA Convenient (and Convincing) Lie
My constant challenge is to overcome the urge to quit. Not in a big, grandiose, “I’m done with this whole writing thing” sort of way (though that no doubt comes up a lot, just not constantly), but in a “stop, just for right now.”
Read moreGetting Organized
So if you want to be a professional, you’ve got to walk the walk, right? With that in mind, I decided to try and bring a little professionalism to my writing this week.
Read moreThis Feels Like a Sham
I gotta be honest. Writing this blog feels like a sham. It feels like I am scooping out some shit from the back of my brain, and leaving it here for all of you (all five of you) to sift through. I am writing this blog tonight after laying on the floor and staring up at the ceiling, then promptly getting up and going to shave because the whole laying on the floor staring at the ceiling thing was a little too intense.
Read moreThe Clean Slate Mirage
Today is the first of the month. If you’re expecting it to impart some kind of magic, you’re going to be let down.
Read moreThere is Always More – Part 2: The Temptation of Productive Procrastination
“More” doesn’t just lurk in the empty space of blank pages. “More” is insidious, and it’s just as likely to stop you from ever starting your work as it is to convince you that the work you do is never enough. Just as there is always more to write, there is always more to do before writing.
Read moreThere is Always More – Part 1: Enough is Enough
If there’s one universal truth I’ve discovered in the course of endeavoring to do more, it’s this: there is always more to do. No matter how productive a day, a week, a month, or even a year may be, you can always take things further, accomplish more, set things up for the next go-round. It’s absolutely, positively maddening.
Read moreCHA-CHING
I had another topic cued up for tonight, but then something happened for the first time that seemed like a good subject for a Nick Writes post—I got paid! For writing!
Read moreDown to the Wire
If you consistently leave things to the last minute, eventually you're going to come up short and miss your deadline. After kicking Nick Writes off by having the first few blogs ready in advance, I fell into the habit of leaving them for Tuesday night. And I hit my deadlines. So I got cocky.
Read moreUsing a Hammer to Bludgeon Yourself
That the internet is a major distraction in modern life is not a surprise to anyone who’s spent more than five minutes with internet access. What’s truly shocking, however, is how wide a gulf there is between what’s possible with the internet, and what is actually accomplished.
Read moreQuestions
I ask a lot of questions. I always have. I like learning about new things, especially things I know nothing about.
Read moreSelf-Preservation
There’s a physical feeling to writing that has nothing to do with my fingers on the keyboard or my hand around a pen. Writing is a series of decisions. And in my mind, I can feel each of those decision points.
Read morePulling Out of a Tailspin
Momentum is a powerful force. One of the most powerful, at least when it comes to behavior. The saying goes that one good decision leads to another. Unfortunately, the same holds true for bad decisions. And what’s more, I’d argue that bad momentum is a hell of a lot stronger than good momentum. It’s why one erstwhile click when you’re trying to get work done leads to one thousand. Somehow, putting one sentence down on the page doesn’t have the same bountiful effect.
Read moreHow do you be your own boss?
Let’s take a minute to read the title of tonight’s blog post. Most importantly, let’s notice that it does not say “How to Be Your Own Boss.” While I’ve taken to writing about my theories and half formed ideas regarding writing, in this case, well…I got nothin’.
Read moreThrough Heavy-Lidded Eyes
There is a certain romanticism surrounding fatigue. Long hours. Hateful alarm clocks. Cup after cup of burnt, black coffee. There is glory in being sleep-deprived, and still trudging through.
Read moreThe Ever-Present Weight of Failure
For me, writing is a constant game of catch-up. I think of all of the times I didn’t write, and where I would be now if I had. Then I try to get to where I should be. Preferably before the weekend.
Read moreAs Potent as Your Favorite Song
Last week, I was having a tough time sitting down to write. (“You Nick? Really? I never would’ve guessed! You’ve only centered every post on that topic.”) But it wasn’t for my usual reasons. I wasn’t especially tired. I wasn’t hungry. No, my problem was that I couldn’t stop dancing.
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