It’s almost August and I have only published two blog posts this year.
I still find writing quite difficult. My last blog post took forever to write and it wasn’t even that lengthy. I’ll admit it was a little discouraging. Since then I’ve struggled to sit down and write. I just haven’t been willing to set aside the time and effort it takes to put 2000 words on a page in a way that doesn’t sound like I’m in kindergarten. The longer I leave it the rustier I get, which makes it even more difficult to pick up the pen (or keyboard). On the flip side I know that it will get easier if I practice more.
Therefore, in an attempt to write more frequently, I shall constrain myself to a maximum of 500 words per blog post.
Constraints are important because they help you get things done. For example, it’s better for me to write and publish short blog posts than to not write at all. Having a limit of 500 words means that I feel less pressure to write a lengthy piece (that I might not finish). Limiting the scope makes me feel less overwhelmed. Only five hundred words? Pshhh, I can do that.
I’ve wanted to make video games ever since I was a kid. However, the learning curve is steep and the list of skills I’ll need to learn is a long one. Programming? Check. 3D Modelling? Animation? Storytelling? World-building? Character design? Not so much. Also, making the biggest, coolest, most awesome game in the world is a lot of hard work. It’s overwhelming just to start. This is where constraints help out. I should start with something smaller. Maybe it doesn’t have to be multiplayer. Or have stunning visual effects. Perhaps a 2D game with a single level and one objective is enough to get started.
Constraints reduce the amount of decisions we needs to make. Us humans are pretty bad at making decisions, especially when the right decision is not obvious. We also tend to get stuck on trivial decisions. Consider a restaurant menu. Everything looks yummy. If I pick one thing, it means I won’t get to taste all the others. If I set a budget then most of the menu falls away because anything above or below that price-point becomes irrelevant.
Constraints are a petri dish for creativity. They force people to come up with all sorts of interesting things, like this guy playing techno music with pipes and sandals. The dude is making techno music without…tech? Or instruments for that matter. That’s some next level creativity right there. There’s something about having less to work with that forces us to be more creative with what we’ve got on hand.
I’ve failed to do so many things simply because I didn’t…
…and that’s a wrap folks. 500 words on the dot. Bye 👋
