Hello, closer I come to redoing Scene 1 of Javantea's Fate. Of course, all I did today is recreate something that already exists in a better form, too... But design is a major part of creating anything. If you counted all the design I have done, you'd be impressed. But design is often just another word for not getting anything done. Design isn't laziness, but it is a serious flaw in the creation process. Design uses creativity so much that it even uses creativity in how to be practical. For creative people, design can be a major stick in the spokes of the wheels of progress. But design gives way to better end product. As long as the end product comes in a timely fashion, good design will make it work. But design doesn't make it happen, work does.

That is today's lesson: know when the design is done and when the time for action has begun. (That rhymes ^_^). When you create something for design that you have already created before, the design is done. I have done this page dozens of times: in 3d (too many times), 2d, vector graphics (twice), raster graphics (twice), pencil and paper (many times), pen and paper (many times), and in text (4 times).

Another sign that your design has gone too far is if you have anxiety about doing what you are writing down. If you show signs of not wanting to do it, you need stop. But don't just give up! No, find out what you can do by just doing it. When you find out what you can do, then you go through those thorough design docs and delete (or strike) anything that you cannot do. Just think: it does not matter, you're not going to need it. So think about what you can do and design on the fly. There is a programmer's rule: you're going to throw the first away anyway, so get it out of the way. If you do it wrong the first time, you'll understand your mistakes and make it right the second time. Design works best as a process, not a product.

I want to call to those who are outlining their books, writing design docs for your software, philosophizing in their armchair, and reading Slashdot: "Are you getting what you need done?"

I don't expect to create a million dollar idea every day, but I expect to make progress on my $20k idea every day.

The idea is not the problem, it is the progress. The idea of the progress needs to change and the progress needs to happen. While all this is meaningless wisdom, following this advice would certainly be positive.