Sunday, January 29, 2006

This Autocrat's Attitude - Part 1

Sometimes called by other names, the Autocrat is the person in charge of organizing an event. I’ve Autocratted several events over the years, and have been involved in the organization of many others. From these experiences, I’ve developed an attitude…

Know your group
• Remember first, foremost, and always that the SCA is a volunteer organization. Know the talents, likes, and dislikes of the people in your group. Some people would rather take out the trash than herald a tourney, while others are perfectly happy to spend the entire event in the kitchen. Give a task to everyone who volunteers so they feel involved, but be sure to match task to temperament.

Know your event
• Every event has a “feel” that has developed over the years. Learn your event’s history so you can maintain that “feel”. Your group and guests will be more comfortable because they know what to expect. The event’s history will also give you a clue regarding which activities work and which do not.

Keep it in perspective
• “Autocrat” is a position of responsibility, never of power.

• Remember, this event does not belong to you. The Autocrat is the organizer and implementer of what the group wants done.

Procrastination and Persnicketiness

I've done it again.

It's not the first time.

Part of my purpose in starting this blog was to get myself back into the habit of writing. Another part was to give myself a forum for expressing my thoughts and opinions that I may not dare express otherwise. And perhaps the act of writing will help me determine exactly what my opinion is on certain topics.

So why haven't I posted in weeks? Many reasons (some simply excuses), but the top two are procrastination and persnicketiness. There are many things I want to be doing right now, and I’ve only so much time and energy. Good writing is work, and I refuse to post anything I consider to be slog. I can’t even send an email that I haven’t re-read at least twice – how can I do any less with my blog? So I procrastinate.

I'm sure it won't be the last time.

But I’m trying. In an attempt to get myself writing again, I plan to start posting bits and bobs of what were originally intended to be larger posts. I’ll give them similar titles to make them easier to spot. As I learn how to use this software, I’ll group them together somehow. Then, I’ll organize these shorter bits into the unified posts they were intended to be.

Someday.

Actually, this post is yet another procrastination. I'm supposed to be writing a paper that is due Tuesday. I know what I want to say, I just don't quite know how I want to formalize it into a "paper." Nuts.