Procrastination Bug Bit Me - Now I'm Biting Back!

When writing was a hobby I could punch out anything at anytime - poems, short stories, long stories, anthologies, whatever.  But when I decided to take it on full-time, all of a sudden that stupid dung beetle (aka procrastination) writhed into my life and bit me.

He crawled on my keyboard, slithered on my outline, stole my notes and creeped his way into every conversation I had with my main characters.

I'd really like him to take a permanent vacation.

So I went searching for the Eradicator – something, anything to help me get rid of the pest.  I’ve jotted down a few of these tools in the hopes that maybe they can help you too, sweep that bug from your life.


Tool 1- Kitchen Timer -- am I writing or am I trolling the Internet?

Tool 2- Word Count -- do I have a word count goal or am I cleaning out the fridge today?

Tool 3- Page Count – how about a page count goal or is this organizing-the-office day?

Tool 4- Scenes -- do I want to finish one scene or two, or maybe I’d rather watch TV for more "research" ideas?

Tool 5- Time of Day -- do I write at the exact same time every single day or do I keep filling that space with essentials like alphabetizing my book collection?

Tool 6- Favorite Place -- do I write in the same place every day (well-lit, uncluttered and mine) or is it filled with bills, homework or other fun stuff?

For me, the best tool has been to create a habit that works.  Experts say two weeks of the same thing at the same time and you’ll have that habit down.  I’m on day 10 – wish me luck!

Do you have favorite techniques for staying on task and fulfilling the dream of a completed, well-edited, ready-to-go manuscript?  Please share!




The sketch is from my good friend Chris Watt, please see more of his illustrations at http://macgregorsisland.com/

Writers Conference Keynotes

Jodi Thomas, 3 time RITA award winner and Romance Writer Hall of Famer, gave an absolutely inspiring and hilarious keynote this weekend.

Best quotes:
"If you are a writer, you need to realize you are not normal."

"The longer I write, the harder it is to be around normal people.  I was at a cocktail party where this woman was telling me about picking out new carpet.  Before she was done, I was plotting her death."

"The day you stop taking critiques is the day you'll be as good as you'll ever be."

"Writers are like drunks.  First we start out doing it socially, then we're in denial, then we lock ourselves in the closet to do it.  Writers conferences are like AA for us."

"Creativity is the black gold of the future."

Best advice:

"Triumph comes through perseverance."  She saw this in a cemetery after being rejected for all six categories she entered in a contest.

"Be proud of what you write."

"Be honest.  Be nice.  Believe in yourself."

"Always deliver when you say you'll deliver."

"Never walk anywhere you wouldn't go in your Sunday shoes."  In other words, don't write because a genre is hot.  Write because you believe it.

Critique Sessions

I'm attending the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer's Conference in Denver tomorrow and the first session is a critique group with an editor. Each of us received a copy of the other members' first ten pages a couple of weeks ago. Feedback is critical for me to understand where the major issues are in my work, so I assume other writers feel it is critical as well. Here is the process I use to critique, hopefully you'll find it helpful.

 1- Read it through twice.
This is merely to get a feel for the story and a feel for the writing style.

 2- Simple proofread.
 During the second read, focus on grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, consistent verb tense and basic mechanics are distracting. This is a relatively easy thing to help fix.

 3- Plot flow.
In a macro sense, analyze all the scenes for organization, clarity and flow. If something doesn't make sense or requires a reread to understand it, then make a note.

 4- Dialogue.
The dialogue needs to sound natural. I love the term "conversation hijacking." The more writers observe everyday conversation and read other authors, the more likely the dialogue isn't cheesy.

 5- Word choice.
 This is almost like line editing. Every single word of each sentence needs to be effective.

 6- Point of View.
Maintaining a consistent point of view (POV) allows the reader to dive into the book without distraction.