Look! Up in the sky --
It's a bird!
It's a plane!
No, it's...
Super Turtle!
I have some good writer qualities.
These aren't them:
- I take forever to decide on a project.
- Writing an outline can take me a month or more.
- I can't fast draft.
- No matter how hard I try, things always take longer than I think they will.
- When I get overloaded with commitments, my WIP is the first to go on the back burner.
- When my schedule is clear, I still can't seem to get a lot accomplished.
- I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. (courtesy of Douglas Adams)
Now, I could get really down on myself about my faults, what I can't do, and my amazing resemblance to a turtle, but instead of bemoaning it -- I'm going to OWN IT!
Yes! I'm a turtle!
It takes me a looooooong time to get anywhere,
but I DO get there eventually.
And I'm very proud of myself when I do.
So if you bear a remarkable resemblance to a turtle -
be proud of it!
(And wasn't there a little story about a tortoise and a hare?)
(And wasn't there a little story about a tortoise and a hare?)
51 comments:
I'm right here with you, fellow turtle. I especially like the Douglas Adams quote, because it gives a different perspective on my continual time adjustments (I'll get it done *here*; No, okay, I'll get it done by *here*; Dang! Okay, how about *here*; and so on.) I think accepting turtleness is a lot easier on ourselves, than beating ourselves up about what we aren't. Great idea - so now I just need to do it. :P
Yup!!!
I'm not a fast writer; that's for sure.
That Douglas Adams quote is one of my favourites.
It takes me about a month to 2 months to write an outline. I've accepted this. ;)
Yep, pretty much all those bullets apply to me. Well, except the fast draft part. I've written all my novels via NaNo, so I can get them down fast. But then the revising takes me years.
Yeah think I'm a turtle too! 'Slow and steady wins the race' though :)
I do bear a striking resemblance to a turtle. I'm normally not very proud of that fact, though.
But I can always try to do better.
And I've always loved that Douglas Adams quote.
I've never considered myself a turtle before, but with this latest project, I feel like I'm becoming more turtle-like every day.... I just keep pulling my head in and hiding so I don't have to work on it.
I've never considered myself a turtle before, but with this latest project, I feel like I'm becoming more turtle-like every day.... I just keep pulling my head in and hiding so I don't have to work on it.
I've never considered myself a turtle before, but with this latest project, I feel like I'm becoming more turtle-like every day.... I just keep pulling my head in and hiding so I don't have to work on it.
Love this. Turtles deserve love too! And that quote is one of my faves BECAUSE it's so me.
I can fast draft, but I can't plot. So the draft takes months and months to unravel. But it's in the unravelling that the story really comes into it;s own. All the twists and character layers evolve in way could never have planned. So yeah, being slow is poop, but also awesome. Glad yu reminded me. :)
shahwharton.com
There is no person alive who hates turtles.
Love the Douglas Adams quote!
I'm not a turtle. Right now, I'm twitchy with a spastic attention, trying to do too many things at once and distracted by shiny things. What kind of animal does that make me? An itty bitty bird with a pea-sized brain?
I need deadlines now that I am living in my "Mañana is good enough for me" world.
Turtles unite!! I'm also a turtle. And I take even longer on outlines.
Yay for turtles! :)
The thing about a turtle is, it carries a HUGE burden everywhere it goes. How many other things are you maintaining, making happen while pressing forward? I'm slow too, but I know I wouldn't be if I wasn't balancing so many other things in life. Here's to making progress, whether slow or fast!
Yes! I'm a turtle too! (Love the Douglas Adams quote)
But you know, the turtle did win the race. :D
Nothing wrong with slow. I think the rabbits just edit more. We slow writers turn out a better first product. (That's what I tell myself anyway. :P)
IWSG #224 until Alex culls the list again.
Turtles may be slow but they keep going and always finish and never miss a beat. I can be a turtle but I might be a magpie as I can easily be distracted especially by shiny things
You always get there in the end....slow and steady wins the race.
Turtles are wonderful :)
A great post for IWSG day Lexa. I can relate to a lot of things on your list there, now I just need to own them too!
Yes, I too am a turtle. Now I understand what my problem is.
Hey, I'm a super turtle, too! Wanna race? ;0)
I'm probably the mother of turtles: I'm slow and proud o_0 err . . . a slow writer, I mean! lol
And proud you should be. Turtles live for a very long time. That means you have hundreds of stories ahead of you.
Not being fast is a positive. I'm banking on that because, like you, I tend to do the slow crawl toward everything.
You photograph beautifully, BTW.
LOL I'm a turtle too! But you're right, it's finishing that matters and in the end, we always finish what we start. So hurray for us! =)
True. Was working on a requested yet it went n back burner for more urgent work.
Super Turtle, you should come over and we'll cry in our soup together. I've been writing for decades and I still can produce a decent synopsis. I mean, Why!
My writing seems to always be the least urgent thing when problems crop up (especially other people's problems). The idea that the writing can wait and be fitted in at any time seems to be very popular with everyone (even me).
mood
Moody Writing
I'm glad I am not alone. It takes me forever to write a blog post, let alone a whole book!
Sean at His and Her Hobbies
There are few things in life more futile than trying to race a turtle home.
Ha! I'm even slow responding to blog posts.
Yeah, I actually enjoy being a deliberately slow-paced writer. So many more ideas come to me after marinating for a year or two. :P
I can sympathize. But, and this is a fairly significant but, *giggle* your turtle nature also seems to convey a heavy helping of persistence. That persistence has made so much difference in you being able to achieve the difficult steps of getting representation and publishing your first book, and I know that your persistence and commitment to craft will carry you even further, even if it is at a slow speed. :)
Hey- getting there slowly is still getting there. :) I love that you are owning the traits you think aren't the best- I think most of us have similar faults.
~Jess
Okay, this was exactly what I needed to read today! You'll know what I mean if you go over to my blog and read my IWSG post for this month.
We are like the same person! I have all these same slowness issues and the same insecurities that go along with them. I need to adopt this attitude for myself.
And, the tortoise and the hare is so appropriate. I'm going to remember that. Thanks so much for this post! :D
Slow and steady wins the race, or so they say!
I love that I'm not the only one who can't fast draft! :)
I'm a turtle, too, and thanks for encouraging us fellow turtles.
Turtle power! And I loved the Adams quote
As long as you keep moving forward, you will get there eventually. At least that's what I keep telling myself. I love the turtle picture you found.
Elizabeth Hein - Scribbling in the Storage Room
Another turtle here. We do reach the end. :)
Turtles, Unite! (I can relate)
Nothing wrong with being a turtle because slow and steady does win the race!
Besides, turtles always have their home with them... :)
Greetings from another turtle. Even when I think mywriting is going great, I'm still surprised by how it takes me to do anything. It's who we are.
Hey, you stole my list of writer qualities.
Or maybe we're just both turtles.
The turtle may be slow, but he's smart and makes good decisions. :D
Hahahaha, I can't stop laughing. I love turtles but I saw Alex said he was one, soooo you can unite and be the ninja turtles!
Yes, you get things done and it's amazing when you're at the finish line.
Lexa, fellow turtle here-- I hope I'm good at the finish line-- seems very far away right now. And I need to be writing on my WIP and not commenting right now!
Love your post 'cause I'm right there with ya! I'm a procrastinator by nature, and I don't use my time wisely. I feel like I'm working forever but accomplishing, well, not much. I look for tips on how to manage my time better but procrastinate on reading the articles when I find them, lol.
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