- Makes a great product.
- Don’t like looking at my own work
- Perfectionism comes up
- Necessary for project to move forward
- Helps me look better (ego)
- Get judgmental about my writing
- I get too nitpicky/critical
- I’m good at it.
- Boring

Reminds me of?

Editing my mom’s newsletter. Grading my students’ papers looking for mistakes. Pages and pages of kids papers for 5 years…always looking for the wrong ones to mark. So robotic and not connecting and not fun.

Both cases: school papers and mom’s newsletter, I was looking for what could be better but it was not with love that I was always doing it.

I was doing it from a critical place sometimes. Sometimes I liked that it gave me permission to be critical and say that stuff was wrong because I didn’t get to voice my opinion freely in the rest of my life(from my perspective.)

So it came from a place with an edge. That’s why the editing voice I hear now is edgy and critical and judgmental and makes me want to throw the whole thing in the garbage and start over.

Is there a metaphor here?

Not yet, but I like that kids have come into the picture.

Kids in my life are like bacon for a lot of people – they make everything taste better in my world.

Learning more about my IDEAL metaphor: What sorts of qualities, aspects and feelings does the thing I desire contain?

- Makes a great product
- Completes the project
- Fun
- Ease
- Love
- Kids
- Creative
- Connecting
- Forgiving
- Accepting
- Smiling
- Appreciation for my writing

Reminds me of?

The host of Romper Room. She’s dealing with like 6 kids who are all holding a frozen pose…and then she picks them up and pretends they’re statues and moves them to a slightly different spot on the floor while the kids try to hold the same pose.

Like a theater director who is trying to put on a play with kindergartners. Physically moving some of them over here and some of them over there so that they’re standing ” just so” so that everyone can be seen and everyone can shine.

Like a chorus teacher lining up kids on the rafters for the big holiday performance so that everyone’s parents can see them.

Like the year book photographer getting everyone on the rafters for the class picture. Some kids have to be moved around so that other kids can be seen etc. It’s not personal. We’re just trying to take a good picture and get everyone in it.

Like someone directing a play (this idea came up again). Certain kids (sentences/ideas) need to be arranged at different places on the stage at different times.

I am loving with them and empathize if something is up and they are not willing to move yet. I understand. I connect with them. I talk with them. I let them know it’s not because they’re bad. They’re going to be better seen and heard and it will be easier to say their lines if they’re over there.

Yes… This is it.

I am putting on a PLAY!

And I have a bunch of kids/sentences/ideas that are feeling unloved and neglected and unappreciated and it’s my job to tell them of their inherent goodness, wipe off their tears with some love and get them to their right spots so they can shine and smile and say their lines proudly.

Okay good!

If editing is now Putting On A Play For My Kids’ Parents…what needs to happen?

And how do we make it more fun?

We’ll need:

- Designated time to rehearse

- Props (a director’s chair to sit in? a megaphone?)

- Stage lighting (candles that I light just for the occasion?)

- Scripts (the document itself)

- Invitations to the play (emails and autoresponders)

- Set design (ebook cover and graphics)

- Schedule a date to HAVE the play (Launch date)

- Costumes for the kids/sentences/ideas. (headlines, bullets, colors, font sizes, clip art?)

- Lots of praising the kids (telling the sentences and ideas they are GOOD!)

- Refreshments for after the play (special drink I have while I do play preparations)

- Programs to hand out as the parents come into the theater so they know what to expect (sales page)

Have we reached Metaphor Mr. Mouse?

Houston, we have METAPHOR!

Wow – this is really fun. Seriously fun.

I think this is going to be HUGE in helping me enjoy this activity.

It’s like I get to be a teacher again and with all my kids doing something amazing that their parents will come and enjoy.

Plus, it’s really the perfect metaphor because this product IS for parents and it is to help them (and their kids) get along better and be happy together.

So this is a super great metaphor. I am loving this.

First time I’ve ever actually walked through the process. Had no idea where I was going to wind up, but this is great, Havi. I’m really excited. Game changer here for sure. xoxo
.-= Mona´s last post … When You Want Them To Shut Up And They Don’t =-.

What Would Havi Do?

Thank you for sharing your processes. Since reading your blog, I have sat down for tea with monsters, flailed wildly for insights, and now am heading off to deal with an overstuffed steamer trunk.

Namaste.
.-= Spike´s last post … Knitalongs 2010–The Ravelympics Post =-.

I just unpacked my ‘boring data work’ metaphor from a stressful ‘getting lost’ to a beautiful “Gem-hunting trip to Boutiques in Barcelona” using your framework.

I was thinking about the word ‘product’, – you talked about ‘a thing’ before. Which I love. and it sounds great. and everyone knows that it’s another cool Havi invention (and they never sounde like a product to me)

THANKS and love!

In particular I love that it requires now a decorating costume. THAT is going to be so fun for me to shop for and find and use and make sure I know I’m in decorating mode and only for a little while (like 50 minutes) so I stay energized and feeling good.

There’s something extra special for me about this metaphor process. I have see you do it before and I have liked it a lot. This particular Metaphor really got me interested because I have been stalling on a project because editing is boring for me also and we’re still at the stage where the project requires my brain too. Totally the same.

So I was reading and being totally captivated. I am happy. I am grateful. I am going to start metaphoring.

I love you and I love your willingness to share and inspire me. Thank you.

P.S Here’s some glitter for you * * * * * *
.-= Mona´s last post … When You Want Them To Shut Up And They Don’t =-.