Leaf by Niggle

Like most writers and designers, I am perhaps my own worst enemy.

When Tolkien was in the midst of his his 17 year stretch of writing the Lord of the Rings, he wrote a short story entitled Leaf by Niggle. It was about a painter that died before he was able to finish a magnificent painting of a tree. The story was a reflection of his own frustration with himself in that he was "niggling" over every little detail in his huge novel. He feared that he would never finish it.

Fortunately, he did finish and Lord of the Rings has been inspiration to many. In fact, my love of the story led me into roleplaying games. So I have Tolkien to (partially) blame for my current dilemma.

I am something of a perfectionist. I niggle. I delay. I beg for my Muse to inspire me toward the next step. As a result, "Silver Screen Dreams" is still unfinished years after I started the project. Granted, I haven't had the time or energy of for the past couple of years... but that is just an excuse.

If I want "Silver Screen Dreams" to get off the ground, I need to treat the project like another job. I MUST work at it even when I do not feel inspired.

In the past two days, I made a point of leaving my house and camping out at Just for Fun Games with my iPad and bluetooth keyboard. No internet or distractions for 2 to 3 hours. The results have been amazing. In the last two days, I have worked out problems that have plagued me for months. I am really looking forward to the next playtest.