Paul Silvia was Right
I had an epiphany yesterday. The kind I have had before and will probably have again, but it has to do with writing the proposal-that-won’t-die.
It is: It’s just a proposal. It’s just words. It is, in fact, words and ideas for which I have done a tremendous amount of preparation. All it is going to take now is writing time. If I learn nothing more, develop no new ideas, run no experiments, and even think no new thoughts—I’ll still have more than enough material for a proposal.
So. I got quite a bit done today by realizing that it isn’t such a big deal. Work, yes. But the kind of work that you can get done if you just show up and do what’s required. Fill in the gaps. Write a paragraph or sentence or page, then edit a paragraph or sentence or page. No big deal.
Like all epiphanies, it’s more in the feeling than in the words. I read all this last year in How to Write a Lot. It remains good advice. I’m back to feeling it in my bones.