<p>I can across an article by the author of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bursts-Hidden-Pattern-Behind-Everything/dp/0525951601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272985785&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Bursts</a>"and found his research fascinating and useful for me as a writer. Because his findings basically boil down to the fact that all human activity happens in bursts. <br />
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<p>I've been fighting against the burst tendency for years, trying to do steady output instead of working in bursts, and it's nice to have scientific validation to show why it doesn't work. This isn't to say you can't work in daily bursts, but you burst and then you have inactivity, so it's not like you can just steadily produce all day long. <br />
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This is useful when it comes to planning so you can work around your bursts. Do some writing, then go read, research, etc. If the way we are is inherently geared to work in bursts, freelancers especially are uniquely able to take advantage of it and maximize our time instead of spending more hours staring at a screen berating ourselves for not keeping up continuous output. It's really much more productive to go do something else, and then come back for another burst all recharged.<br />
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Very cool post :) I love the
Very cool post :) I love the idea of mini-bursts happening all through the day. That way, you can work using bursts but still get daily output...I had thought of bursts as a project-specific phenomenon, as in, write like a maniac until the entire book is done LOL. This is a much more humane and liveable way of thinking about the concept!
Off to read the article...thanks!
Michele, the Fast Draft
Michele, the Fast Draft approach does take advantage of bursting on a project, which is probably why it works well for me, but I typically do that in multiple bursts throughout the day to get my 20 pages, rather than one session of several straight hours. But in any case you have to go in planning on equal time for recovery. I.e., 2 weeks of fast draft, 2 weeks of watching anime and drooling.