(no subject)

[nny]

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PRACTICE.

Seriously, this is a genuine failing. I CANNA DO IT, CAP'N! I just. Brain, she say - if you practice, it means you are not good. Brain, she say - well, we could practice, but we'll just end up failing anyway, so let's just coast as far as we can and then give up, right? I got to grade five piano doing maybe ten/twenty minutes of practice a week. I write things into the update box and rarely go back and edit. I've revised for every exam of my life in a very limited way the night before. I just don't know how to do it. Same way I can't think about things before I do them. I spend the time between scrabble turns singing and staring vaguely around the room and making faces at the other players, not thinking about my letters until it's my turn. I don't think things through before I say them/make posts about them. I've never quite worked out how contemplation works.

And then the funny part comes when I resent the fact that people are better at things than me, even though I have never put in one tenth of the effort. *HEADDESK*

This is frustrating me right now because I'm scared I won't get charactervoices right for SG:A fic, but I can't practice and I can't write anything until I can get the voices right but I'm scared I won't...

The answer to this is so simple. Nike, in fact: JUST DO IT. (I write this stuff so I can pretend it's dealt with and I don't have to try any more). In so many areas of my life I am improving, but this is the big hurdle and it's still there. It's not going anywhere. This is what I want to change, this year.

Kick my arse about it, yes?

Comments

[josepheenie.livejournal.com]

heh I'm totally with you on this... I don't put in the effort cos I would far rather cruise on a 2.1 instead of the chance that I could work my butt off and still not get a 1st

[blueeyedtigress.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on studying/revising -- something I still need to learn to do.

With piano: try thinking of it not as practicing, but as playing the piano. If you don't enjoy it, why are you doing it, right? So don't practice, just play -- it won't really matter in the end whether you play the excercises prescribed, or grab some sheetmusic to a wonderful movie score. You'll be PLAYING, and that's all that matters. Right?

As for fic writing: I find the best way to "get" the voices right in my head is to watch a LOT of that particular universe. Seep yourself in it, and the voices will be right because you'll know on a depp and cellular level if they're wrong ... ;]

[maggiebloome.livejournal.com]

I'm exactly the same! It's like if you don't try, you can say look how good I did without effort, I bet if I practiced a little I'd be awesome, but if you actually try then you might fail after giving your best effort, and that means you're not perfect, and that breaks your brain cos it can't handle that.

[liz666.livejournal.com]

No arsekicking cos I'm exactly the same. It's that state of mind where you know you can get by and if you don't try and you fail, well that's ok, because you could have got it if you'd done your best. It's so much easier and less scary to coast.

This, my friend, is the curse of the intelligent.

Take SG:A with you wherever you go. Find a random DVD player and just watch it every opportunity you get. Then you'll start thinking in their voices-hopefully this will make it easier for fic.