[B5JMS] ATTN JMS: Wordstar, staying focused, being Trouble

[b5jms-admin at cs.columbia.edu]

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
From: "Michael N. Rubinstein" <mrubinst at 21stcentury.net>
Date: 22 Mar 2001 08:49:16 -0700
Lines: 54

Well, Joe, I and my friends are thrilled about the new project.
Congratulations! It's interesting how every bump in the road has seemingly
ended up leading to new and greater possibilities. In my weirder moments, I
almost think you planned it all this way. That would be your Vorlon side, of
course...

I was wondering: do you still use WordStar? I recall reading a post of yours
some time ago in which you indicated your fondness for it. My dad designed
and produced WordStar, so it's a big deal in my family. I get a kick out of
seeing how many fans it still has, especially when that group includes
people of whom *I* am a fan, such as yourself and Arthur C. Clarke.

I've read your post today about how you always like to be involved in
multiple projects at once. What gets me is that you can do all that, and be
effective and creative on a regular basis, AND spend time here on the
Internet. Here's my situation: I'm trying to create a new software product -
sort of taking after my dad in that regard. It's a tool for creative people,
and I'm making it because *I* need it and I couldn't find any existing
products that did what I need. I have just a few months to flesh out my idea
and demonstrate it; otherwise I'll have to abandon it, or at least set it
aside indefinitely. The problem is that I've never created anything remotely
as ambitious as this before, and whenever I try to work on it, I am beset by
anxiety and fear that I won't be able to pull it off. So I surf the Net for
a while to take my mind off the anxiety, and I end up wasting precious time
procrastinating. When you were starting out, did you deal with anxiety like
that? If so, how did you work past it? Also, how do you keep your usage of
potentially distracting things (like the Internet) in check? In other
words... as a person who is both creator and manager, how do you manage
yourself?

One last note: I'm sorry you won't be coming to Wizard World Chicago again
this year, but that's cool. I missed your appearance last year, but during
the 1999 convention, we had a fun exchange during your presentation. It was
near the end, and you said you just had time for two more questions, so they
had better be good ones. I raised my hand tentatively, then lowered it; you
saw me and asked why I'd lowered it. I said that I wasn't sure if mine was
good enough to be one of the Last Two. So then you called on another guy,
and he asked a question which I (and I think most folks there) thought was
kind of weak. So then my hand shot up, and you said something like "So now
you think it's good enough?"

And I said "It's definitely better than THAT one was."

Everyone cracked up, and you said "I like you... you're trouble."

I just wanted to thank you for the compliment. :-)

Thank you for being Trouble, and an inspiration to all of us!

Peace be with you,
Michael Rubinstein




=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 22 Mar 2001 23:17:48 -0700
Lines: 30

>I was wondering: do you still use WordStar? I recall reading a post of yours
>some time ago in which you indicated your fondness for it.

Would have, but it wasn't Y2K compliant and I had to dump it because it would
start corrupting files.

>o I surf the Net for
>a while to take my mind off the anxiety, and I end up wasting precious time
>procrastinating. When you were starting out, did you deal with anxiety like
>that? If so, how did you work past it?

This is gonna sound really awful, but...I've never had a problem with the
writing, so it's not something I've had to deal with.  I just write.  I don't
worry about it.  As somebody else once pointed out...on the dance floor, you've
got two guys...one guy is running the moves through his head; he's *trying to
dance*.  At the other end of the dance floor is Fred Astaire.  He's just
*dancing*.

I don't *try* to write.  I just *write*.

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd., 
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine 
and don't send me story ideas)