34: Deadlines
10/22/2012
I’m still only halfway through writing Chapter Six: Lost in the Darkness. It took me two weeks to rewrite the 162 pages I just finished with, plus three new illustrations. So, I’ve been busy, just not with new material. I have to get my head back into Lost in the Darkness tomorrow though and start pushing on through it again. My fantasy is to be done with Part Two, so the first book will be half done by New Years. But that would mean writing 2 ½ chapters (illustrated, edited, and rewritten) in less than 2 ½ months.
Not very likely. Oh, it’s perfectly possible… theoretically. But given my production history, and creative energy lately, it’s highly unlikely. But I still hope, and time will tell. Time always does.
Present-Day Reflection
6/28/2026
I’m the sort of person who needs self-imposed deadlines. If I just go with the flow and let whatever comes according to the whims of my moods… Well, to be honest I have no idea what would happen because I never do it. Even outside my Batu work, if I don’t give something a deadline it’s because I don’t care much about it. Which means I don’t keep track of it or remember the results of not having a deadline.
So, it’s only because I care that I’m able to enjoy my deadlines. On the other hand, I loathe deadlines that are imposed on me by others, because I never truly care about them. I might care about disappointing someone, but I don’t actually care about whatever it is that’s expected of me. This was usually the case with assignments in school, and art commissions as an adult, where I’m executing something I have no genuine interest in – beyond making others happy, or myself money. I hate those kinds of deadlines. And I usually resent whoever it is imposing them on me.
When it comes to my self-imposed deadlines, however, I thrive on them. I may disappoint myself when I don’t meet them, but I usually get more done than I would have without them, so I forgive myself. And when I meet a deadline, the feeling is extremely gratifying.
Every little bit of motivation helps.
