Oblomov is passive.
The nobleman is the main character in a classical Russian novel. In the first 150 pages, he hardly leaves his bed.
In the 19th century, ‘oblomovism’ became a catchphrase for (aristocratic) laziness. It was considered a threat to Russian society.
When you write, you probably think of passivity and procrastination as negatives too.
Writing is hard work, so it’s always tempting to postpone a writing task until tomorrow. But it doesn’t make you very productive.
Still, you can also start writing too early. You yourself may do this.
Broadly speaking, the writing process consists of 4 steps.
- Step 1: Researching and brainstorming
- Step 2: Structuring
- Step 3: Writing
- Step 4: Editing
All of these steps look like writing. You can do all four in a Word document with text.
But if you start with step 3 before you’ve finished doing your research, or making a structure, you’re probably doing three things at once. With the risk of cognitive overload and a writer’s block.
Sounds familiar?
Then it’s wise to divide your process into several steps, and to postpone writing.
It’s not oblomovism, it’s just an effective process.
Regards,
Arnaud