The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage.
Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or
weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance.
It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Visit the main page on Alex's blog for the complete
signup list!
Procrastination, thou are an ugly wart on a donkey's hind end...
Is procrastination ever a good thing? Generally, I don't
think so but I hate wasting time so I'm hard on myself. This winter has been
one long bout of procrastination for me, writing-wise, and I'm not happy about
it.
I did discover a silver lining inside the procrastination
station the other day, though, as my train came to a stop and requested ice
cream before moving on. What if I avoided what I should be doing by doing something
else that was worthwhile?
I know what you're thinking…well, duh! But really, it's not
that simple. I wanted to veg and watch some idiot movie. Instead, I wrote and
scheduled all twenty-six freakin' days' worth of A to Z April Challenge posts!
Yay!
The secret to motivation? It DIDN'T need to happen yet. Not
until April, in fact. That made it 100% a FUN THING TO DO, instead of OMG IT'S
NOT DONE YET!
Maybe I've found the key.
Do you ever trick yourself out of procrastinating?
**********************
And now I have the pleasure of revealing the cover for Beyond The Binding, the companion eBook
to the Composers For Relief Album.
It's a beauty!
Embark on an exciting journey “Beyond the
Binding” of the imagination with 29 authors from across the globe, in a
groundbreaking collaboration where music meets fiction. Surrender to soaring
compositions as they surge through the veins of every story, capturing the
triumphant pulse of the notes in heart pounding sci fi, enchanting fantasy and
gripping slices of realism.
All proceeds of the Composers
for Relief album and Companion Collection ebook will go to Gawad Kalinga (“give
care”) and GVSP (Gualandi
Volunteer Service Programme), to support the relief efforts for victims of the
deadliest natural disaster in Philippines’ history, Super Typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan).
Ebook available from Amazon, Amazon UK, iTunes,
B&N, Kobo, Sony, Diesel & Smashwords. (More links added as they go live)
I find that routine is the best way out of procrastinating and wasting your time. Settle yourself at your computer at a certain time of day and write for the amount of time you've designated.
ReplyDeleteEasy to say this, because since Christmas I have totally lost my routine.
Don't be so hard on yourself.
I'm always hard on myself, Fanny! :) You're right, a routine is great...I've just fallen out of that routine and need to coax myself back into it.
DeleteKicking procrastination's ass is my goal this year. He keeps popping up when I don't want him around.
ReplyDeleteYes...tricking oneself WORKS! When it's fun, it can be done easily, when it's due, I freak out and find every other little thing to distract me. Go figure.
M.L. Swift, Writer
And social media is the worst, Mike! I could look at cute cat pictures for hours. :) We will help each other kick procrastination's ass out the door this year.
DeleteExcited about the Composers for Relief book!
ReplyDeleteFilling the time with something else is smart. (I'm still working on my Challenge posts, so envy that you are done.) Last year I focused on my music instead. Now it's time to write. Maybe that is the secret?
Don't envy my feat, Alex. I went with the simple cats + quotes for the Challenge, like last year. ;) I agree that focusing on other things for a while is good for filling the creativity well. You have music. Sometimes painting helps me...an expensive hobby... :/
DeleteI'm terrible with procrastination. Usually a deadline is what kicks me into gear, although I try to get things done before the self-imposed deadline. That's a neat idea to try to trick yourself out of procrastination.
ReplyDeleteGreat cover for Beyond the Binding!
I wish I could self-impose a deadline, Cherie! It works the opposite way on me - like a little kid, I dig in my heels and refuse to quit playing. O.o
DeleteThat's a great strategy! I often find myself having to do the same thing just to get something productive done. I hope to start working on my A-Z posts too. I've been the one that had to hustle to keep up. NEVER again!
ReplyDeleteI hear ya, Jay! The first year I did one each night of the Challenge for the next day. Nerve-wracking! Never again is right. :D
DeleteI am the queen of procrastination. Just ask how much writing I've gotten done since November's NaNoWriMo, or where the heck my blog post is for today's IWSG. ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's incredibly difficult for me to overcome, sitting down and staying focused. When I do, I'm farting rainbows, and I love that feeling. But why I can't keep at it? Bah, who knows!
Oh, Dara! I'm sitting here giggling. :) Just what does it feel like to fart rainbows? I've got to know...or try it myself, I guess.
DeleteIt's nice to hear about others who wallow in procrastination. Misery loves company...
You're absolutely right, River. Doing something well ahead of time is doing it when it's still a fun thing to do. I think a lot of writers set unrealistic goals for themselves. So many words per day. That sort of thing. So writing is always a chore and seldom fun. My goal for my current WIP is to finish it before I die, and unless I get hit by a truck, I should be able to meet that goal! Do I look forward to my writing sessions? More than anything else in life.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great attitude, Ron! It really should be the way I look at it too. I don't write in order to eat so I should take away my stress to get things done by an arbitrary deadline and have fun with it again. Thank you, my awesome friend. :)
DeleteYou didn't! All 26? All at one sitting? I'm procrastinating. Give me push, okay?
ReplyDeleteI did, Lee, but they're really short. And, I'm sorry to inform you of this but Jezebel was reading over my shoulder and saw that you asked for a push...
Delete*hands Lee a blanket to hide under*
I have yet to find the cure for procrastination. I am so good at distracting myself. The more I have to do, the sillier my obsessions become. Like I will know I have to get blog posts written and instead I'll look at book covers. I'll need a book cover and I'll read blog posts. It's an insanity. I have to make myself a list, best done the night before, of what I HAVE to do. Then I have to make myself do it.
ReplyDeleteYou seem really organized to me, Elizabeth! It must be all the mirrors. ;) Some people work really well with deadlines and lists. I wish I were one of them.
DeleteI have to go back to not letting myself on the internet in the morning. I think procrastination is a job requirement for writing, though. :)
ReplyDeleteYou may be right, Mary. :) I've got that requirement in the bag! The internet is awesome for research...until it drags you down the dark paths of...oh, squirrel!
DeleteI try to trick myself, promise myself chocolate and all sorts of junk food and sleep.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it works and sometimes not.
Sitting in front of the PC works better than the notebook or laptop because I have to sit in the chair in my office and if I wasn't writing there would be nothing else to do in there.
doreenmcgettigan.com
Hi Doreen! Sitting in front of the PC in my office is where the Oh Shiny! creatures attack me. ;)
DeleteChocolate can cure all ills too.
That's awesome you tricked yourself! I do the same thing. Fun is the key. Mmm, ice cream.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love that cover!
I need to trick myself more often, Christine! They did a fabulous job on the cover. :)
DeleteI feel another ice cream urge coming on...
Hey River,
ReplyDeleteAh yes, "IWSG" aka, "I Was Seeking Gary." My ego can't take much more. Thank you :)
The Composers for Relief is a wonderful idea. That cover is fantastic.
A to Z? Arggghhhh!!!! LOL. I was going to leave a comment, maybe tomorrow, or the next day or....
Gary :)
Hi Gary! You were going to leave a comment...so I suppose this has been communicated telepathically and everyone else will think I'm talking to myself. I'm on to you now. ;)
DeleteIt was a good "I Was Seeking Gary" day! Give my best to Penny. :)
Congratulations on doing the A-Z already, River. I'm very impressed with your self-trickery. I don't think I could do so well with self-trickery. The chocolate urges hit too frequently and often.
ReplyDeletePS Beyond the Binding IS a beauty for a beautiful cause. Thanks for spotlighting it.
Cheers,
xoRobyn
Hi Robyn! I need to keep applying this trickery before I can count it a success in the long term - and yes, the continual chocolate supply is problematic. ;)
DeleteI'm really anxious to get my hands on that book!
I was lost in procrastination for some time, neglecting book two and obsessing over book one. Then I got a ghostwriting gig in a new genre and ka-pow, it reenergised me. I feel ready to work on the series again. Diversion therapy is pretty big, and it works! :)
ReplyDeleteshahwharton.com
Hi Shah! That sounds like a good way to divert your attention, working on someone else's story instead of your own. I love that idea!
DeleteHi River! Love the blog post. What I do is reward myself. If I work for this long, or finish this part or project, then I get to..... It works for me.
ReplyDeleteLove the new cover, BTW! Congrats!
Hi Elizabeth! That used to work for me...until I started rewarding myself at any and all times for nothing in particular. I think I took a cue from my cats... O.o
DeleteMotivation is the key. I try to take one day at a time. It is hard to stay motivated when there are so many distractions.
ReplyDeleteHi Lady Lilith! Yes, distractions abound around my house. :)
DeleteThis metaphor is spot on, especially given that I ride the train to work every day now.
ReplyDeleteHi Michael. Well, at least you can let your mind wander on the train without worrying about crashing the car. :)
DeleteI'd get rid of that wart if the donkey cooperated. Barring that, I'll seek help with the A to Z! BTW Got any tea on brewing?
ReplyDeleteI always have tea brewing, Lee. ;) It's amazing what Jezebel comes up with when I'm not looking. Oh, and the donkey kicks. Hard.
Delete