When to Plan & When to Pounce
Balancing Project Planning and Raw Expression. There are times for both!
Consider the nature of the creative projects you work on.
Some need precision, collaboration, attention to detail from the outset. That means investing time in planning and thoughtful outlining.
But many personal expressions and curious explorations can afford to be messy. They do well when you just start and sort it out as you go.
Both types of writing and creativity shows up on Substack.
The process works best when you know which project is which every time. Off the cuff stuff, when the inspiration strikes, can have much more power when you get your enthusiasm out there. If the initial idea becomes your life’s work, that first pounce into the territory will be there for all to see the springboard that sparked the revolution in your head.
In other words, the planning can come later.
On the flipside, you’ll have projects where you’re already in deep. Your passion is patient and planned. It’ll be worth the wait.
I think the slower projects aren’t usually mistaken as fast projects.
But sudden magic that you want to announce to the world? I wonder if lots of those sparks get lost.
Lost because, somewhere along the lines, the drive turned to doubt:
Doubt in the idea;
Doubt in yourself;
Doubt that it’s enough;
Doubt in the quality of the writing/art.
It can all be revisited as a deeper, planned project later. Sometimes it’s the slow drag that brings the doubt. All these barriers come along at different times and stages. Sigh!
Still, I get the impression that many ideas aren't shared or developed because someone thinks a lot of planning needs to be done before letting anything out into the world. Lots of fast projects become slow, and lots of slow projects stop being projects at all.
More to come…?
It's true that fear of judgment or failure can also play a part in slowing things down. Those psychological barriers of doubt stop the drive to create, especially when it was on a whim in the first place.
One way to nudge the doubts out of the way can be to start with a short post, introducing the overarching narrative and sharing your excitement. You’re baking in the messy fun and authenticity.
Even better, you’re suggesting that more is to come.
And teasing more later can help get more people to subscribe too. Subscribes are more likely to come from those who want to hear more from you, rather than because they liked the post they've just read from you.
That might not be your aim, but it’s a nice-to-know. And it could be a sign that your sudden inspiration is resonating with others too!
How fast is your curious thought?
If you’re not sure what type of project it’ll be, see if my curiosity marker helps:
“Ooh, ah!” curiosity
“Huh…Hmmm…” curiosity
The “Ooh, ah!” is the dinging of the bell, the flash of the lightbulb, the passionate discovery that delights! If only you’d realised sooner…It all makes sense now!
That, for me, tends to be more often suited to a flash project. From the seed of inspiration can come a field of fancy. So I plant the seed and see what happens.
The “Huh…Hmmm…” is the slow-brew, question-filled fascination. That’s interesting…I think there’s something in this.
That, for me, needs more brooding space and a moment to step back to work out the bigger picture and the details to see if everything aligns the way I think it might.
For any type of curiosity, I’m not going to rush out without thought at all. Working with speed doesn’t mean working without care. The care is there at all times. That goes without saying (he said anyway…)!
For all types of creative work, progress stems from action. Some projects need careful planning and research for the initial actions. But many projects call for you to show up ASAP. More than we tend to think, I’d say.
When your muse is spontaneously ignited, do what you can to keep the momentum. Let the project's needs guide you.
Sometimes the idea leads you better than you leading the idea.
Knowing which one is in the lead each time is a big deal!
The title of this pulled me in and felt very relevant to the many ideas I’m juggling! There’s lots of energy in your words Martin, which I love and this read has been a little nudge. Ta!