Procrastination.
The enemy of all writers.
I work during the week, so the weekend is my writing time. If I can get some writing done in the evenings then great, but Saturday and Sunday are my staple writing times.
Every saturday morning I write a list of things to do that weekend. And it always starts with write 1500 words on WIP. This weekend’s looked like this:
1500 words- Not done.
Send extract 4 to Tim Clare- Not done.
Write short story for Short Fuse based around Babel- Done.
Write short story based around Union for Writers and Artist Yearbook Competition- Started.
Write a short story about Loch Ness for Litopia- Done research.
Write short story for Bristol Short Story comp- Not done.
Design business cards and presentation folder for submissions- Started.
Review Point Blank for my blog- Done.
Review Heartland for my blog- Done.
Do 3 critiques for Litopia- Done.
Write blog for my work blog- Done.
Submit book reviews for forthcoming Litopia Muse Ezine- Done.
Writing East Midlands blog- Doing it now.
On the surface of things looks pretty good, it’s been a fairly productive weekend. A short story in the bag, a couple of blog posts, some research, caught up with my critiques.
Apart from the fact that the only thing I really need to do is the first 2 items.
Why the delay then?
Because I’m procrastinating.
Because those 1500 words aren’t new and fresh and exciting words. They’re editing.
And editing is the mother of all procrastination.
I’ve written 131 words out of the 1500. I’ve listened to a podcast. I’ve done all the washing that was in the washing basket. I’ve watched the Arsenal Chelsea match. I’ve been to the Gym.
And the reason I’ve done this?
Because it’s hard. Because editing is hard.
This section is slap bang in the middle of the book; everything I do now unravels something else or is affected by something that happens before and after. I write something and I have to go and check whether the reader already knows this. And so I procrastinate.
What I need is someone to lock me in a room with no outside stimulus and force me to finish this section. I don’t even think it would take that long if I put my mind to it.Even when I’m sat at my computer it doesn’t guarantee that I am writing, there’s always the internet, Twitter, Facebook and Litopia. I’m building my author platform I tell myself. I’m not. I’m avoiding doing something that is hard.
The good thing about getting all this out is that I now feel guilty enough to stop faffing and get on with it. It’s about 6.30. If I knuckle down I can get 1000 words in before bedtime.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
