Ethelie
O my little Tulips! I suggest you read this Splendid essay by Miss Caine, to be found on the Inter-Net.
After our last Adventure, in which Gustav’s brave and hideously obese Cat, Markus, leaped into the Fiery arms of certain Death, we were not our Usual Selves. It was as if a Ghastly Maisma fell upon the Directorate, oozed through its Ancient walls, into our Chamber, and infected us with Gloom.
I, at least, was able to Revive my Spirits by gazing upon our beautiful Manifesto. Whatever the Cost, the Manifesto was surely Magnificent. Gustav did not Agree, and wallowed in the Depths of Absinthe and Grief. Lida claimed to be Distraught on Gustav’s behalf, and to Mourn the Miners with whom she had Tarried, but found Abundant Recompense in the arms of the Beastmaster. Neither of them would do the Slightest Bit of Work! I fear the Directorate languished while they let their Emotions master them. Nothing I could say could return them to their Work.
Then, my little Quail-Eggs, I chanced to read Miss Caine’s work. She is splendidly Prolific, and in this Essay, describes her Method for achieving such Marvels. Can you guess? She has built a Habit of Writing, and now cannot resist Writing, any more than Lida can resist Temptation. She has built a Habit, and now it Propels her forward, inexorably. She learned the Skill; she learned the Iron Discipline; she now Produces with a Metronymic Regularity that is the envy of all.
Practice! Write! Improve! Write! Write!
Each Day, dedicate yourself to your Craft. Lift the Burden of your Words, that your Writing may become Stronger. Calibrate the Gears of the Machine of your Art, that it may Tick forward unceasingly. Be thou as a mighty Steam Engine, driving your Progress along great Steel tracks. All it takes is Daily Effort.
Indeed, when I chose to Create for myself a truly spectacular Laudanum Addiction, I found that daily Practice of my Art was essential, and that with sufficient Application, the Habit practically formed itself. Writing is much the same.
I must fly; Gustav just scurried into the Alchemy Lab, muttering something about an Elixer of Life. This cannot end well.
Tell me, in the comments! What kind of Machine will you Build for your Writing? What other authors do you admire for their Consistent Output?
*blush*
My writing machine: Robotic T.S. Eliot (I reside in the stomach–that’s the control panel).
Miss Caine, you are an Inspiration.
Agent Maus: How intriguing! The World could surely use more Robotic Poets. Can you say More about how it might Work, and the Wonders you would Achieve with such an Instrument?
T.S. Eliot SMASH! I mean, WRITE!
Actually, I don’t know yet. Robot T.S. Eliot just recently arrived (after being shipped from the Arctic, of course), and I am still translating the manual… a hat and some funky rocks. I will get back to you about that, but it’d probably be prudent to remind me sometime.
INSPIRING! This post may elevate words-to-paper ratio. I will have to give up my stalking habits, and whittle my television-machine habits down to achieve writing-consistency. This I will do.
An additional inspiration recently was an interview with Michael Chabon in the back of The Yiddish Policeman’s Union. He claims his success traces to three requirements: talent, luck, and discipline. “Discipline,” he says, “is the one element of those three things that you can control, and so that is the one that you have to focus on controlling, and you just have to hope and trust in the other two.”
Discipline.
Onward.
Agent Maus: Your robot sounds Smashing! Terrible and Beautiful; I look forward to watching Moving Pictures of it on Your Tube soonest.
Agent Rocket: Mr. Chabon is clearly a brilliant Disciplinarian. May we all be Inspired by his example!
I am increasing my Output by Documenting our Journey through our Blog, An Encouraging Bird. Posts go Up Monday through Friday. It matters not how late it has gotten, if there is No Post Up, the Day Is Not Done.
I am living in hope that, through this application of Miss Caine’s excellent Advice, I shall become Prolific enough to Sustain our other blogs as well, as they Become Online.
[...] O, Darlings. I trust you read Ethelie’s post yesterday? It is no doubt impolitic of me to speak out, but I fear I must disagree with her. O, she will be so [...]