Re: Staring into space

[Joy Michele Prescott <joyp -at- CARECOMPUTER -dot- COM>]

What a great subject, Kevin!

Yes, I too stare into space. Fortunately, I have a great manager who doesn't
mind this as long as I meet the deadlines. She understands that different
people work in different ways. I tend to do a combination of the two styles you
talked about.

I spend a good deal of the time at the beginning of a project designing the
structure (outlines, visual maps, lists, whatever) while getting the basics of the
software down. During this design stage, I do a good deal of staring into space.
I have to think about the project and visualize it. (Heck, I even dream about the
darn things, sometimes!) When the design is finished, I do some more futzing
with the software and talking to the experts before writing a draft.

Then comes some heavy-duty staring into space and maybe working on un-
related stuff. The unrelated stuff gives me distance from the draft and allows me
to edit that much better when I go back to it with my team's comments. This
process repeats itself as many times as I have time for, depending on
deadlines. The more times I go through the cycle (up to a point), the more
layers and details I can add to the material. I usually need two cycles to have
some good materials.

I have not worked as a contractor, so I don't know how this may work differently
in their situations. But, this technique works for me whether I'm writing papers
for school or doing creative writing. I'd love to hear what works for others.

Joy Prescott
joyp -at- carecomputer -dot- com


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