If you’re new here, you might not know that Fridays are normally reserved for fiction. Specifically, I’ve been publishing Arch/Eternal, my phi-sci-fi novel-in-progress, one chapter at a time.
As I will shortly explain, today’s chapter has been delayed. Good news! That gives you time to go catch up! I recommend starting with the Prologue, or the introduction to A Terran’s Guide to the Galaxy. You could also just go read Chapter Twenty-One, since it starts with a short summary that will get you up to speed. So many options.
For now, though…
The Case for Targeted Failure
Here’s the tldr:
I’m not going to publish the draft I have written for “Arch/Eternal - Chapter Twenty-Two.” It needs more work before I’ll feel comfortable sharing it.
And here’s the tlra (too long, read anyway):
For almost five months, I’ve been consistent with a new chapter every week. For a number of reasons, it’s gotten much harder to stick with that weekly cadence, but I’ve prided myself on keeping up with it.
In other words, not publishing it feels like failure.
And in a sense, it is! I am by definition FAILING to keep up with the goal I set of publishing a new chapter today. I’m breaking my streak. I’m losing the momentum.
But that’s OK.
I’ve learned that sometimes I need to deliberately fail at a small thing in order to better position myself to succeed at a bigger thing.
Bigger things
First off, I launched
this last Tuesday, and I'm really proud of how it's gone so far. I've gotten great feedback, and I personally love the way it looks.Another thing: My company went into development on a new podcast for a major client this week. It’s an exciting project, and will be a huge deal for Voltage if we execute at the level I know we’re capable of.
And speaking of my company, I also launched
this week, with a post called "Gold in the Hills of Audio Fiction” that went out to our tiny mailing list of 18 people. The next day, it got picked up by an industry newsletter, which bumped up its view count to over 300, and splattered my calendar with new meetings.Who am I trying to convince?
Probably not you! I’m quite sure most of you would not have even noticed that another chapter didn’t go out today unless I’d made such a big deal about it.
So why make a big deal?
Because part of the point of this is to leverage your attention on what I write to improve my own awareness about my creative process. In other words, the fact that you’re reading this holds me accountable. You being here raises the stakes and helps me think more clearly.
Which is why it was so hard to hold back this new chapter of Arch/Eternal, and why it was so important that I did it anyway.
This targeted failure not only helps pay for this week’s other big successes, it helps me become a wiser, more effective artist.
Not a bad bargain. Sort of reminds me of something out of Paradise Lost…
If you haven’t yet
(And also if you aren’t too put off by this exploitative learning exercise)
I promise it’s usually more fun than this.
OK you can leave now.
Not a failure! In my book, the only duty of a writer is to write good stuff. Everything else is noise.
I love this term, "targeted failure." Because it doesn't sugar-coat the reality of breaking a streak, falling short of a goal you set, and the disappointment encompassed therein. But it does help transform "failure" out of being a dirty word.
As someone with chronic health issues, this was something I absolutely had to allow myself the freedom to do when I started posting serial fiction (elsewhere, but not for long). I was soooo proud of my months of weekly streak because inconsistency is one of the main ramifications of my conditions. And then I had to pause. UGH. But you're so right. What I put out after the delay was substantially better than slapping up a chapter that wasn't ready and pushing on to the next ones.
I'm so glad to see a fellow serialist doing this. I value your commitment to quality over quantity, to stress reduction over goals and production, and to nurturing all the projects you have going by re-prioritizing them like that. Congrats on the successes, including letting yourself have the small failure in service of the greater vision. Thank you for sharing the why's behind a break in your pattern.
People forget that content creators are not merely The Product. We are also people, and people break down. People have stuff happen--good and bad. I love glimpsing the person behind fiction I obsess over. I'm always wondering what inspired somebody to write it anyway so nuggets like these are wonderful additions to the experience. Especially for serial!
And yes, for we newbs to your list, it gives us time to say, "There a novel? Shweeeeet...."