"Write now is good."

Why we write

Why do we write? This weekend, I write because I have two deadlines on Monday. So today's quick post will feature some other more insightful and provocative answers to this question.

I now return to my "other" writing. In alphabetical order:

1. To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music the words make.  — Truman Capote

2. I am no doubt not the only one who writes in order to have no face. — Michel Foucault

3. If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. — Toni Morrison

4. We write to taste life twice, in the moment, and in retrospection. — Anais Nin

5. Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say. — Sharon O'Brien

A furiously fast (and successful?) future

Cory Doctorow not only gives away his books for free, creating a wildly successful writing career for himself. He is also apparently a very fast multi-tasker.

Seth Godin recently sat next to Doctorow at a conference and posts today about a unique skill which Cory exemplified: by using his "ability to make snap judgments", he skillfully sped through "data overload", processing and completing tasks accurately and quickly.

Why is this so remarkable? You have to read Seth's post to find out.

Looking at this from a writer's standpoint, it is more often the QUANTITY (not the quality) in the early stages that matter most. Doing more earlier on can often mean an easier time later.

For example, we need to get that first draft completed before moving onto rewrites and a polished, cohesive work. I've written under many a deadline, and copy has to "shine" yesterday; one way I get there is to write a ton of words non-stop, then go back and edit thoroughly, and rewrite one last time. The key approach, whether it's a novel draft or a marketing newsletter, is to speed up the process.

Do it quickly and get it done. (How to do this systematically is a post for another time.)

I never thought of it this way before, but I'm seeing this more clearly now:
If you are moving this fast, quantity almost guarantees quality. Or at least success.

Additional information: I wrote a post called "Give away your books for FREE! (Huh?)" on Cory Doctorow's fascinating article in Forbes magazine in their section about the future of book publishing. There's an interesting comment thread about this type of self-promotion.

It's National Boss Day! (Really?)

My planner has "National Boss Day" written on today's page in very small letters. As I've never heard of this holiday before, I've taken some liberties interpreting what it might be about.

1. If you are the Boss, congratulations! Today you can:
   a. give yourself a big bonus
   b. take yourself out to lunch
   c. be extra bossy — after all, it's a national holiday (thanks to the leaders of Hallmark-land) which celebrates you telling others what to do. Live it up!

2. If you are not the Boss and you have one, today you can:
   a. ignore the holiday — you don't need to buy flowers and a card on top of all the extra hours you put in for no compensation. Just stay out of Boss's way today and expect extra bossy-ness. Perhaps it's not too late to feign illness and go home!
   b. sit in your Boss's extra-cushy chair while he/she is out to lunch, celebrating with all the other Bosses.
   c. petition the president of Hallmark-land to create a National Not-A-Boss Day. As there are so many more Not-Bosses than Bosses, so many more cards would be bought. This would create a big boost for the Hallmark-land economy.

3. If you are your own Boss, today you can:
   a. boss yourself around for a bit, just for the fun of it.
   b. write up a memo of imaginary office policies that you would like to have in place if you had a staff... and an office.
   c. quit reading useless blogs and get back to work!!! (Oh, sorry. All the bossy-ness is affecting me. You can do whatever you want.)

I'm certain that it's no coincidence that National Boss Day falls on a Monday, so I'll send all you Bosses and Not-Bosses off with the great French rallying cry: "Courage!"

If you are a boss, what does National Boss Day mean to you?