Shelley Berman had a great comeback if someone calls you on just sitting there, staring into space with a “What are you doing?” He’d answer, “Creating!”
When doing home remodeling or retrofitting, 9/10 of my time is spent just staring at the space and visualizing the final result in my head. The next 95% of my time is spent doing the first 9/10 of the work. The last tenth takes the other 95% of my time.
When I was programming one boss walked by and saw me staring off into space. Not happy with my apparent idleness he asked “Why aren’t you busy? Don’t you have anything to do?” I replied “I am busy. I’m engaged in the first step of good programming. I’m thinking.”
Caulfield just thinks about so many things worthy of an essay, he has a hard time picking the most interesting.
He’s having a struggle that also resembles the effects of writer’s block. It takes time to get past it. One technique is just to start writing about the frustrations of being stuck in neutral. That sometimes jogs the gears into motion. But so might a boot from Mrs. Olsen.
Just about the time the ideas start to coalesce and a picture begins to emerge from the fog, someone comes along and disrupts your entire chain of thot.
There was a great Shoe some years ago. Shoe, the editor, sees Perfessor gazing into the distance and tells him to start pounding that typewriter. P give him a steely gaze and tells him, “Typists pound typewriters. Writers stare out windows.”
Makes sense to me… while writing the paper for my graduate degree took about six months, the hardest part was coming up with the topic and making it narrow enough to actually finish in that time. The actual research and writing was fairly straight forward once that hard part was done.
Exact quote is in a file at work, but one of my fellow teachers in an evidence-based practice course starts one of her segments with a quote from Einstein to the effect that if he had an hour to solve a problem, he’d spend the first 55 minutes (or maybe the first 59) figuring out what question to ask.
Yup—I write for fun, and can confirm that the process often isn’t easy. It’s all worth it, though, when your thoughts come together nicely in a scene. Gotta find a way to keep on keepin’ on with the writing process …
Whenever I’m explaining my job to someone, it’s a high-odds laugh when I demonstrate the hardest part of the process. “Watch closely,” I say, and then I stare at the wall or out the window or whatever seems handy. There’s a lot of activity going on in my head, but on the outside, I’m pretty evidently goofing off.
Another good laugh is whenever someone sees me sketching out figures. If they’re in action, I’m in action; I’m making the same gestures, standing in the same postures and, best of all I’m told, making the same facial expressions as the characters I’’m drawing. What can I say? I need a model, and there I am.
Anyone spying on me when I drew today’s Frazz must have thought me very lazy indeed. There’s a reason my office is in the side of the house that can’t be seen from the sidewalk or most of the neighbors.
Bilan about 4 years ago
They say to write what you know.
Rhetorical_Question about 4 years ago
Picking a topic that annoys the teacher!
Kind&Kinder about 4 years ago
Shelley Berman had a great comeback if someone calls you on just sitting there, staring into space with a “What are you doing?” He’d answer, “Creating!”
jpayne4040 about 4 years ago
That is so true! Wonder what grade he’ll get with this?
The Old Wolf about 4 years ago
When doing home remodeling or retrofitting, 9/10 of my time is spent just staring at the space and visualizing the final result in my head. The next 95% of my time is spent doing the first 9/10 of the work. The last tenth takes the other 95% of my time.
MS72 about 4 years ago
“How to Choose an Essay Topic” Ok, I’ve got writer’s block.
nosirrom about 4 years ago
When I was programming one boss walked by and saw me staring off into space. Not happy with my apparent idleness he asked “Why aren’t you busy? Don’t you have anything to do?” I replied “I am busy. I’m engaged in the first step of good programming. I’m thinking.”
MartinJohansson about 4 years ago
Yeah, Caulfield, somehow I really doubt you weren’t goofing off.
Cannoneer about 4 years ago
If good writing was easy to do, any idiot could do it.
sandpiper about 4 years ago
Caulfield just thinks about so many things worthy of an essay, he has a hard time picking the most interesting.
He’s having a struggle that also resembles the effects of writer’s block. It takes time to get past it. One technique is just to start writing about the frustrations of being stuck in neutral. That sometimes jogs the gears into motion. But so might a boot from Mrs. Olsen.
Sovie Premium Member about 4 years ago
Someone’s been reading Grant Snider! http://www.incidentalcomics.com/
Richard S Russell Premium Member about 4 years ago
Just about the time the ideas start to coalesce and a picture begins to emerge from the fog, someone comes along and disrupts your entire chain of thot.
Boise Ed Premium Member about 4 years ago
There was a great Shoe some years ago. Shoe, the editor, sees Perfessor gazing into the distance and tells him to start pounding that typewriter. P give him a steely gaze and tells him, “Typists pound typewriters. Writers stare out windows.”
Stephen Gilberg about 4 years ago
“Mull” is a combo breaker. Maybe “peruse”?
john about 4 years ago
The trouble with writing what you know is figuring out what you know.
sml7291 Premium Member about 4 years ago
Makes sense to me… while writing the paper for my graduate degree took about six months, the hardest part was coming up with the topic and making it narrow enough to actually finish in that time. The actual research and writing was fairly straight forward once that hard part was done.
gcarlson about 4 years ago
Exact quote is in a file at work, but one of my fellow teachers in an evidence-based practice course starts one of her segments with a quote from Einstein to the effect that if he had an hour to solve a problem, he’d spend the first 55 minutes (or maybe the first 59) figuring out what question to ask.
gcarlson about 4 years ago
Cf Adam@Home, elsewhere at GoComics. Of course, he presents much evidence that he does goof off a lot.
rgcviper about 4 years ago
Yup—I write for fun, and can confirm that the process often isn’t easy. It’s all worth it, though, when your thoughts come together nicely in a scene. Gotta find a way to keep on keepin’ on with the writing process …
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] about 4 years ago
Mallet Blog PostsFrazz18 hrs ·
Whenever I’m explaining my job to someone, it’s a high-odds laugh when I demonstrate the hardest part of the process. “Watch closely,” I say, and then I stare at the wall or out the window or whatever seems handy. There’s a lot of activity going on in my head, but on the outside, I’m pretty evidently goofing off.
Another good laugh is whenever someone sees me sketching out figures. If they’re in action, I’m in action; I’m making the same gestures, standing in the same postures and, best of all I’m told, making the same facial expressions as the characters I’’m drawing. What can I say? I need a model, and there I am.
Anyone spying on me when I drew today’s Frazz must have thought me very lazy indeed. There’s a reason my office is in the side of the house that can’t be seen from the sidewalk or most of the neighbors.