Examine Your Paneling

While I’ve attended to some layout issues, I’ve made it a point to carve out some time today to read some gaming material. My mind has been turning around some ideas for the past handful of days which I’m pretty excited about, but not at the point to talk about in case it’s just my restless nature betraying me. I need to finish gathering some information, process a bit, and then compartmentalize. The restless nature of working on one thing and wanting to do something else. What I call “The Grass is Green Syndrome”.

I saw a video some time back which showed a comic strip  tantamount to the same thing. Panel one: you’re at work. Panel two: you’re hanging out with significant other. Panel three: you’re doing your favorite leisure activity. Sounds boring? Right. Well, in each of these panels, you’re thinking about the subsequent panel (or in the case of panel three, you’re thinking about panel one.)

The thing is, you’ve got to live in your panel. It’s no good to be hanging with friends and thinking about some video game you’d rather be playing or any other such nonsense. Same goes for your work. If you’ve got work to do, do it. This all comes down to focus.

Now, it’s okay to examine your panel and realize you need to step outside of it for a few. For example, if I’m doing layout and need to jot down some ideas for an adventure or something, it would be ridiculous not to take a few moments to step into the next panel and do that thing and return where I was. If you don’t, you’ll waste more time and creative energy dwelling upon this other thing.

Naturally, you have to learn when something is for real and not merely an opportunity for activity avoidance. There are some parts of the process of publishing far less engaging than others. This is true of all things. In those parts, you can strive to improve and refine. This can tax your patience, certainly, but attention to detail is paramount. While we can oft define good works by their imperfections, we must do what we can to present our visions with our unique voice and style. Imitation may be the highest form of flattery and, while that’s all well and good up to a point, there comes a defining moment where we each (consciously or unconsciously) break away from the pack in some form or fashion and find our own, best path.

Until next time, I bid you, dear reader, adieu!