How Actively Nerdy is Made: Panic Mode Edition

Hey everybody! This week has not been one of the best for productive creativity. And while there were many noteworthy things that happened this week(*cough* INDIANA *cough cough*), writers block and I were on very close terms. I am really sorry about that, but then I realized that this happens surprisingly often to me. I’ve also gotten random questions from friends as to how I actually do Actively Nerdy and choose what I write. So I figure, this might answer some questions and help you all understand my process.

HOW A BLOG POST GETS MADE: Worst Case Scenario

Now as a habit, I never write on the days I work. It’s weird, but when I get an idea it’s usually on the clock and by the time I get home my brain is, well….

So to combat this, I bring a notebook to work and write down the ideas I have in it when I have them, so I can write them when I have time. Sometimes these are very good ideas. These usually get written up very very late Friday night/ technically Saturday morning with no issues.

But sometimes, it just doesn’t work like that. Saturdays are my “I’m writing, do not disturb” days most days, and that chosen isolation time can extend pretty far into the day. This is a timeline of days like this.

Saturday Morning. Post Status: Not even a topic decided

10:00 AM: Wake up. Proceed to freak out that I’m late for work. Realize it’s Saturday. Fall back asleep.

12:00 PM: Wake up for the second time. Refuse to leave bed, but get out notebook full of blog ideas if I haven’t done it already. Start going through ideas. If lucky, find one that I had forgotten about, get some inspiration, and start writing. Most of the time, not so much.

12:08: Consider doing a Lets Play. Decide against it because voice is currently choosing to perfect its Christian Bale Batman impression.

12:37: Desperately begin search of Kindle Library and bookshelves for a good idea or a good topic.

12:52: Stop search to nurse new papercut

1:02 Find “Best Idea Ever” Post-it written some time during the night. Proceed to spend next half hour determining exactly how little sleep the previous week had seen and any new diet changes that could have caused the level of insanity written on said Post-it.

Disclaimer: I do not do drugs, but sometimes I wonder...

1:30: Realize the creative process might go better if food is acquired. Immediately forget that when an idea pops into head and begins writing.

4:30: Discover that post idea does not translate well to text format whatsoever, keeps all the notes for next week, eats lunch in disappointment.

But it was such a good idea!

5:00 Figure that doing some tasks that are notoriously boring may inspire some “creative procrastination”.

7:00 Finishes Taxes, two loads of laundry, and has sorted out entire budget and created a student loan payment schedule optimum strategy. Still no freaking clue on what to write about.

....maybe clean my bathroom next?

7:02: Starts asking advice of friends on Facebook. Gets distracted by funny videos and actually good topics. Realizes that there is nowhere near enough time to give each topic the research it deserves, writes them all down, and promises to do the research during next week’s lunch breaks.

8:00 Family Dinner. Brother and Sister team up to explain to Dad why Taco Bell is not “food”.

"I didn't want to touch anything in there." "Gee, maybe the nickname Taco Hell was a clue?"

8:45: Begins to freewrite post.

8:47 Crippling Self-doubt

10:00 Finish post and edit it a bit. Show to one or two friends minus images. Hope they don’t think it’s half-assed, because it’s too late to turn back now

10:15: Image hunt.

10:49: Upload into Blogger. Fiddle with the settings and formatting. Re-write some jokes.

10:54: Pray to the internet gods and offer suitable sacrifice that the post will upload with no problems. Also for no router issues. Or internet crashes. This is a job for Mountain Dew Sacrifice.

Until now, I had to sacrifice Doritos and Mtn Dew separately to the Internet Gods. Thank you, freakish soda flavors!

11pm-Midnight: Fret over the preview page until post actually launches, wondering if you’re doing the right topic. More self doubt. Finally post article in hopes it’s not terrible. Fall asleep from mentally-induced exhaustion.

So that’s it. That’s how a typical post under the worst conditions gets made. I’m sure there’s way more efficient ways to do this, and that’s because I’ve actually done them before. But when all else fails, this usually gets it done.

I’ll be working on some of those said good topics over the next few weeks, and hopefully the panic-writing doesn’t happen anytime soon.

Sorry if you consider this filler, I at least hope this was entertaining in some way.

(Oh, and if you want my thoughts on Indiana’s most recent….legislative decision, I’ll put it very simply. I don’t think I’ve seen a state choose the “nuke state economy from orbit and negatively impact reputation” option with policy before quite so efficiently. The intention was vaguely worded and with the Governor's reputation, I'm not surprised as to what had happened.)

Something Nerdy next time Everyone! And something near and dear to my heart. Be ready to Roll for Initiative.