Saturday, May 26, 2007

Taking regular breaks

It’s alarming how much time I have accumulated on Bejeweled: just the odd game here and there. (It’s just a cold, I could give up anytime I want).

The problem is that I can’t kid myself: Bejeweled keeps excellent records.

Just recently I’ve swapped laptops, and so I’ve reset those records. BUT the records still exist on the old laptop … I’ve just been to check them. OMG.

I have earned the title: Legendary jeweler
(Is this my skill, or the amount of time I’ve spent on the game?)

My best score: 1,379,550
(Yay, husband can’t get close)

Gems collected: 680, 945
(Shame they’re not real)

Biggest Cascade: x9
Biggest Combo: 94,408
Power Gems created: 19,408
Hyper Cubes created: 1,042
(blah blah blah)

This is where it gets a bit shocking:

Total Time Played: 130 hours 2 minutes. (OH MY GOD) That’s nearly five and a half days… (Really filthy, sailor type language ensues)

So I’ve been feeling quite sick about this. I mean, I know it wasn’t consecutive days (it wasn’t, honest) but really…

However, today, I was just having a quick game (of Bejeweled, obviously) before starting to plan my plot (which I still haven’t done this week) when I got a stonking, but stonking great idea in my head for a short story. I’ve written down the story so I don’t forget it.

I’ve been reading Tony Buzan’s “The Power of Creative Intelligence” and he says "Surprisingly, whole-brain thinking demands that if you are going to be fully and truly creative, you must take regular breaks.” I knew this all along.

“Think about it: where are you when you come up with those bursts of imagination…those great fantasies and daydreams?” He then lists 12 places/times where your mind is relaxed, and okay, none of them specifically mentioned ‘Bejeweled’ but the principle is definitely the same.

So there.

And it’s the second time this week. The same thing happened on Monday while I was playing Bejeweled, and I wrote down the bones of that story too.

All the time I have been worrying about procrastination and not being motivated to use the time available to me and there I was doing what I needed to do: to allow both sides of my brain to talk to each other…

I went back this morning and reread some of my early blog. All I wanted to do was write: I hadn’t set amounts or totals or goals, I just wanted to write because I need to. I don’t honestly know if I need to be published, but I do know I need to write. Every Friday I feel disappointed in not having done more novel, but I am writing and it is all I wanted. I have got to give myself a break… So that’s another game of Bejeweled, for me then.

6 comments:

hesitant scribe said...

Oh God! Thank God! Am not the only one. My weakness here is Alchemy! I like the mindnumbing activity of these games to make me creative - oh yes - that's why I do it - not because I'm incapable of sitting still to listen to radio 4 online!

Tony Buzan - Mind Maps and Speed Reading! I tell all my students about him, and waste, er utilise many happy hours doing colourful mindmaps!

Just got Edward de Bono's book "How to Have Creative Ideas: 62 exercises to develop the mind" and will let you know if and when my mind gets developed!

Also - was inspired by your wonderful textures, so had a go with the camera (and failed - but did get some nice flower pics!)

Jenny Beattie said...

Hi Lisa
I am very tempted to find out about Alchemy... but I really feel it might be better if I didn't...

Do definitely let me know if the Edward de Bono book is good: I've seen it here.

Glad you got some nice flower pics. If you want me to send any of the textures, just let me know. The trick I think, is to pick a texture that's big enough to let you fill the frame. Some work and some don't! But I just can't stop! Bit like Bejeweled, then isn't it?

JJ

hesitant scribe said...

Ooh yes - I love the textures, and will keep trying because anything that saves me from writing is good at the moment! I love what you've written at the bottom of your post about giving yourself a break... I need a break too. I find I can't write the novel at the moment. I don't know why. Am reading a book on Writing Blocks to find out more, and probably going to do that conference paper on not being able to write at the moment! Truth is I hate writing - always have done - I'm just compelled to do it. Like you say, I don't know if I'll ever get published, and I too reach every Friday and feel slightly ill (well very!) at how many words I haven't written. But you know - sod it. I'm going to give myself a massive break! Enjoy yours!

Angie said...

Hmm, must check out this Bejeweled, maybe it'll give me some ideas!

Asaph Talmor said...

Hey,

I got here googling "legendary jeweler bejeweled", looking for someone else who has accomplished this controversial achievement.

Congrads - My high score (in hyper mode) is 3500000! yay for me.

Can you tell me though - how you got bj2 to display your accumulated statistics? I could find such an option.

Jenny Beattie said...

Hi Asaph

If you finish a game the scores that appear below reflect that game's individual performance. However, if you select 'go back to main menu' and then click on 'scores' it gives you your accumulated scores.

I'm really rubbish at hypermode, although I quite like it!

Hope this helps.

JJ