10 in 10
The journey of 1000 metaphorical miles begins with putting your hands on keys and typing away.
Pre-Ramble
Yesterday I reached a milestone. I managed to do 100 significant posts in 100 days. By significant post I mean an item/ npc/ ...front page entry, a scroll post, a good sized informative forum post, or 10 lines of significant comments or edits on a post. One Hundred and One days ago I challanged myself and I did it.
Some of you might have noticed there were days I did not post at all. There were other days I was a posting machine. I averaged 100 posts in that 100 days. Because lets face it, there are some days you can log on, and if you did, you just don't have an idea to post. So I worked it out to an average of one post a day for one hundred days.
Note: This did not include any of my item comments or admin/ moderator type posts - that is just part of the job. Nor did it include any thread sheparding (dinky posts or bumps to get a thread back to the top).
End Pre-Ramble
So now I ask you to do the same.
Sites like this are made through content, good content, new content. That is probably what brought you here way back when and is what is keeping you here. Where do we get content? From viewers like you, to borrow the phrase from PBS.
And some of you are saying, "There is no way I can do that, what is MoonHunter on?" (or words to that effect).
Okay, not a problem. One hundred days is a big commitment. Lets start with something managable. I want you to commit to 10 significant posts in 10 days. That is fairly easy and a small commitment.
Ten Significant Posts in Ten Days
Go ahead. Try it. No shame if you fail, just try it again.
And some of you are saying, "I don't have that many ideas!"
You think I do? Have you seen some of my posts? Some are just expansions of existing ideas. Some are quite new though. There is something about having a deadline or meeting a commitment that pushes your imagination to new heights... looking for inspiration in places you never though of, just desperately trying to meet the commitment.
So try it. Try it for ten days. Then if you don't do it, try it again. If you do do it, then do it again. And again. In 50 to 100 days, you might find yourself with 50 to 100 posts, all from doing each section of 10 days.
Your journey of one thousand metaphorical miles starts with ten simple steps.
And the desire to take them.
So take the next step.
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? Responses (23)
Does this count as a significant post?
Good job Moon, this almost motivated me into making the big 10 in 10 but then I fell off of the way and was lost.
So get up and try again. The actual goal is not what is important (though useful). The commitment is the important part.
Today, Murometz brought up two good points.
Why 10 in 10 days? There's a good chance 7 wont be any good. Doesn't it become a quality/quantity thing?
I dont see why subs need to be forced. For example...I have 1 million ideas in my head, but If I just start posting them willy nilly, I wont be happy with them....but thats just me
I remember that 'western' thing I asked your advice on (another example). I can't post it until I get it just right (again that could just be my problem)
MoonHunter says
Good points. You always want to post something good... but everything you post is not going to be great.
Mostly, the 10 in 10 days is really about practice. Simply practice. You see what works, you see what does not. You work on your weaknesses. You post towards your strengths.
So sure 7 of those posts are going to be 3 to 4, but 3 of those are probably going to be 4-5. People only seem to remember the 4.5 to 5s. Most people are concerned that it has to be perfect.
Perfect is a hard goal to achieve. In fact, it can stop you from writing and posting at all. You need to shoot for something between 'good enough' and 'the best I can do'. You only get better at writing if you write. You only get better at posting, if you post.
The Frequency and Goal is just that a goal. But you can think of it as a training schedule. Also remember, you can tuck posts in your work space for many days before you release them.
I had one piece in their for nearly nine months. I was working on it and working on it... I was never satisfied. Eventually, I just had to release it to the world. It was doing no one any good just sitting in my work space. So I let it loose and thought it was crud. It ened up being rated 5.0 with 10 votes.
To compliment this, although there is little I can add to make this any better.
I have read over five different books by four different authors regarding writing. Mainly how to write and productive novel type of books. Stephen King was one of these authors.
In every single one of these books they explain the best way to create working manuscripts that better suit you writing style. To expand your mind by reading every genre out there, not just the one your writing about.
But they also explain in great detail that in order to be a successful writer you need to work at it. Practice is not just for sports. Practice your writing. They all say if you write at least 10 pages a day, whether pertaining to your work or not. This produces results in that it kleeps your creative brain working. If you stop writing your creative side will lapse and it wil ltake more work to get it working a again.
A difficult concept to understand but proven.
Does this include editing previous submissions by adding more than two paragraphs of content? As I have been going through my old submissions and cleaning them up.
I count 10-20 lines of strong edit and additions to an existing post as a valid days work of post.
To be honest, editing is almost harder than writing.
I also enjoy returning to my posts, and tinkering with them for my own satisfaction if nothing else.
I think you hit on 'the crux' of my beefs when you both mention frequency=honing your skills. Great point
I feel kinda weird voting on this, but if Moon says I made 2 good points, then damn it! i made 2 good points :)
ofcourse followed by several fine counter-points by Moon and Mourn! thanks guys!
I like this.
A local radio station does 10 @ 10: 10 great songs from a given year or artist (or some theme, like greatest love longs) at 10 am and 10 pm ever day. It is both great and depressing hearing oldies that you remember as new songs.
This is my preamble ramble for a shameless bump.
Updated: Odd characters deleted
I found I have been following the concept lately without actually committing to it. So I guess it deserves a vote.
And this is not a significant post yet. :)
This is a great submission. I'm definitely inspired to do the 10 in 10. I'm not sure that I can come up with 10 decent ideas in such a short time span, but I'll give it go.
Me, I consider some of comments 'significant' enough to be counted. Many are just simple notes, of course, but you'll feel the difference, when the comment really adds to a submission. Plus we have this huge number of scrolls that can be added to. :)
So it's often not necessary to produce 'new' ideas out of nothing, but to build upon the existing material - and that has its own appeal.
Steph: might I suggest the Book Scroll, The Random Village Scroll, and any Minor NPC collection, as a great place to practice writing. (Actually if you do a web search for recipes on the net, A dash of salt works too). Don't have a great idea for something awsome, we could always use more NPCs, villages, and so on.
And remember, just do ideas or just write . Nobody hits it out of the park all the time. Scroll submissions are a nice stress free way to practice writing.
Bumpage for a good idea! Try it people, it's hard, but it works.
This was pointed out to me after I was 7 days into a goal of posting for 8 days straight. I should have known MH would have something covering the idea ;)
So I'm tacking a few extra days on my goal to do the 10 in 10.
I am still doing this, but I am writing my game or a story, instead of posting here.
To be honest, I prefer posting here.
For some reason I've been more successful with '8 in 8' than '10 in 10.' Going for my third round now, but I also wanted to give this sub a bump because it is such good advice; even if I am just a lazy bastard who gives up at 8 :)
Might I suggest putting it on a calender or a to do list?
Many a writer, writer book, and help book (I have been having issues recently, so I have gone there), have said that if you move beyond dream to commitment, it makes it easier. It is easy to talk about writing x number of days. Put it on your calender (or to do list). If you can do that without an anxiety attack... just follow through. It becomes a case of just do it... because now you have a concrete component to the goal.
Alternate: sticky note on the computer frame to remind you... with 10 bubbles. Cross off each bubble each day. Keep doing this until you do it.
IF NONE OF THIS WORKS, Just do 1 week 7 posts. Then do it again next week. Then do it again, the next week. The measured duration doesn't matter, just that you keep it up.
And remember... it is all not going to be sterling or golden. You have my permission to just write, even if it is drek. It is just writing. Practice writing and your writing will get better. Don't practice and it won't.
I think 8 works for me because it's a psychological thing. It feels like a full cycle, starting and ending on the same day a week apart.
Great suggestions with the bubbles and the calendar, though.
I thought about 10 in 10 when I read this....
Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats via io9:
Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.
This is just good.
Neil Gaiman via Brain Pickings:
The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it's definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.
Shocked I never voted on this one. New folks, take a look at this. Old folks, including myself, you too :)