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3 December 2005: Someone I argue with on the Internet about who wrote Shakespeare asserted that "those who achieve greatness go about their work in a markedly different way than those who achieve only mediocrity. A scattershot approach to writing, wherein one works on several 'major projects' (forgive me for refusing to equate the composition of King Lear with the cleaning of your house, Bob, but I don't think I'll even bother to come up with support for this assertion) is an indication, not that we are dealing with a major talent, but rather that we are dealing with procrastination and mediocrity." We were arguing about a recent Biography of Shakespeare that hypothesized that he finished four different plays in one year. My opponent claimed it wasn't possible; I that it most certainly was. I used myself as an example of a writer who had a lot of major projects going at a time. Hence, my opponent's distinguishing "mediocrities" from Shakespeare-level artists. I mentioned getting my house organized as one of the major projects I was involved in, which accounts for his reference to "the cleaning of (my) house."
It seems to me many culturateurs (people whose contribution to world culture was major) worked on four or more major cultural projects (a major project needn't be cultural) during a year, and some of them worked on two or more of them simultaneously, especially composers and painters. A blurriness of recall prevents me from thinking of any particular such culturateurs except for Leonardo--who was definitely handicapped by his approach to his endeavors; I wouldn't say it was a "scattershot approach," but it leaned that way, for sure.
I've always alternated between pride in my scattershot approach and worry about it. Certainly, it's kept me from finishing much. But, I claim, only so far. Next year, will be different. Actually, this year hasn't been so bad, for I finished one long-in-progress play during it (and two such plays near the end of the year before). At the moment, I am at work on (1) my book on the Shakespeare authorship debate (which is more an introduction to my theory of psychology, (2) a central life's work of mine); (3) and (4) two new plays, (5) my essay on E. E. Cummings's Influence (which I hope will become book-length at some point), (6) these blog entries (and improvements to my blog), (7) my mathemaku sequence, The Long Division of Poetry, (8) a large mathemaku I'm tentatively calling "Mathemaku in Homage to Modern Technology," (9) my mathemaku, in general, (10) my Poem poem sequence, (11) getting mine house in order, (12) various anthologies or zines I've agreed to send poems or essays to and/or guest-edit. Impressive-sounding, but I do procrastinate, and play Civilization too much. I won't finish any of these this year, and may not ever. Nonetheless, I'll be severely unhappy if I don't take care of most of them next year--as well as get the next volume of Writing To Be Seen, the anthology Crag Hill and I have co-edited, into print, another major project. It remains to be seen whether or not the results will make it above mediocrity, but I'm betting on myself.
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Use the box below to respond to this entry. Negative feedback is especially welcome. It will get to me anonymously, so you need have no fear it will result in my using my immense influence to wreck your literary career, if you have one. On the other hand, if you want to hear back, please include your e.mail address with your message. --Bob
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