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I’ll
Get to It Later, Promise: Procrastination
By Shon
Bacon
I love to write. I do. When I’m in my writing jags, there are no such
things as potty breaks, eating, sleeping, communicating with others.
It’s just my words and me. However, even as a writer who lives and
breathes words, I do have times when I just don’t write. People say,
you should write every day. Well, I agree, but sometimes I don’t.
Sometimes, it’s because of writer’s constipation (my term for
writer’s block), which will be discussed in its own column. Sometimes,
however, I don’t write because I…well, I …procrastinate.
We all have a million-and-one things to do, right? I know I do. I’m a
writer. I teach five classes a semester. I’m a sister. I’m a
daughter. I’m an owner of a company. I’m a webmistress for at least
four websites. I’m reading renaissance poetry from a nice list
generated by a professor. These are just the things I can remember [side
note: the more you have to remember, the less you actually remember:
take heed!]. There is literally not enough time in the day to do all the
things I HAVE to do, so how do I find time to write? How do I stop
putting my life itinerary up as an excuse for why I can’t write? How
do I just admit that I’m a procrastinator and move on?
Well, let me first tell you that being a procrastinator is not
necessarily a bad thing; nevertheless, you do have to move past the
procrastinating stage in order to, well, WRITE. Many of us procrastinate
out of fear. We think that no one will ever want to read our writing but
our mothers. We have a box of rejections from a previous work and are
stunted from beginning a new project. Many of us procrastinate because
we tell ourselves that we don’t have the time to invest in writing.
Many of us procrastinate because we are lifers of the procrastinating
game.
I’m here to tell you that procrastination can be managed and that you
can write that story you’ve always wanted to write. Below are a few
suggestions that I have implemented into my writing regimen, and they
have proved successful for me.
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Show
up. Show up at your computer. Show up with pen and paper
at hand. You can’t write if you don’t have the necessary tools.
-
POST-ITS,
POST-ITS, EVERYWHERE. I’m a huge Post-It fan. I always
have a pad of them in my backpack or in my purse to jot down notes
as they come to me. Aside from notes, I also use Post-Its as a
cheerleading tool. I stick them on everything around my desk (my
writing space). I put notes like, “You’re a Great Writer,”
“Write Today!”, “Yearly Writing Goals (and I list them),
“Character Notes” (and I have notes about my characters on the
Post-Its). Back in March 2004, I gave my fiction professor a rough draft
of my thesis to read and critique; and in my write-up of my thesis,
I wrote something like, “What Kensington [the main character of
thesis] realizes is that for her writing to ever be good, she must
lace her essence throughout it.” My professor told me to run home,
put that on a Post-It and keep it near where I write. Anything
that’s a positive, anything that will aid your writing should be
put near your writing space to keep you motivated.
-
Speaking
of writing space. You need a space that is conducive to
writing. Do you need complete silence? Maybe you’ll go to the den
once the kids have gone to bed. Perhaps you’ll head to the local
university library. I love the smell of books and of course, I love
academia, so I get a different vibe going into a uni’s library
than going to a regular public library; however, you can try that
out as well. Do you need noise and chaos to write? If you’re like
me, you need music, or TV, or background sound to perk you up. I
like to go to Books-A-Million, pick up a slice of caramel cake and a
chocolate caramel latte and write—by hand. I get the yummy coffee
smells, all those books, people talking, and life buzzing around me.
It gives me that spark to write. For your home writing space, keep
your ‘writing CDs’ around your writing space. Make sure you have
enough space for your coffee mug that you will DEFINITELY be using.
Your chair, your desk, its space, all of it should be comfortable
for you to make for better flow of words from fingertips to computer
screen.
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Make
a writing schedule. We know that from 9am to 5pm, we’re
going to be at work. We know we want to have dinner by a certain
time. We know when we have to drive our children to soccer or choir
practice. Why not know when you will write? You don’t have to go
all out and write every day. For starters, tell yourself that
you’ll write three times a week, for an hour at a time. Write this
down (on those lovely Post-Its) and place it on your desk, keep it
in your organizer.
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Give
rewards for completing tasks. Once you have that writing
schedule, decide on rewards you will give yourself for completing
your tasks. Have you wanted to take a soaking, hot bubble bath while
sipping wine and having some down time? Reward yourself with
it…once you’re done your writing assignment. Is there a blouse
or a cute pair of shoes or a nice handbag you’ve been eyeing but
avoiding buying? Get it for yourself after a couple weeks of
sticking to your schedule. We all know that the reward system works.
Parents do it with their children. Employers do it with their
employees. Do it with yourself.
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Get
a writing partner. Every artist needs at least one other
artist to share his or her pain and joy with. A writing partner
serves many functions. A partner can cheerlead you on as you hit
rough spots. A partner can chastise you (not in a demoralizing way)
when you procrastinate or attempt to give up. A partner can talk
with you about the art of writing. I love my mom and my family, but
they don’t really get my writing world and mind. Sometimes, my
brain wants to explode from my mouth in conversation, and I need
that someone who has a creative spirit to discuss things with, to
ask questions to, to gather advice from.
-
What’s
your best time to write? I’m a literary vampire. I
either never go to sleep or I fall into bed just as the sun rises
[note: this, unfortunately, changes as a school semester begins].
Nighttime is the best time for me to write. Are you an early bird?
Get up an hour early and write. Take a lunch and write during your
lunch break. Are you a stay-at-home parent? Write when kids are
asleep or at school. If you’re a nighttime person but still have
to get up early for work, take an hour just before bed time to
write. Ask your significant other to watch the kids—if they are
still awake, so you can be one with your story. I hope you’re
noticing that a lot of these deal with what’s COMFORTABLE FOR YOU.
If you’re not comfortable, writing will be stilted, awkward and
uninspired.
-
Interview
your characters. My characters love to talk. In their
stories, to me when I’m trying to go to sleep at night, when I’m
lecturing. They have a lot to say. When I’m procrastinating,
however, I—consciously or not—mute their voices. You DO NOT want
to do that. These characters are interviewing for gigs in your
latest work. Do they have the credentials? Ask them about their
childhoods, their families, their first loves, their first
heartaches, their first fights, their favorite drinks, books, songs,
movies, TV shows, EVERYTHING. Collect their memories. Create a
dossier of information for these living, breathing characters.
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Get
on your mark, get set, GO: Timing yourself. I do this a
lot, especially when I’m working on exercises. When I’m starting
a new project, I will do short, 15- to 30-minute exercises. What’s
your story about? Take 15 minutes and free write. Think about your
story. What’s a possible scene that may occur in the story? Write
for 30 minutes. How do you think the story will begin? Give yourself
20 minutes to answer the question. I know many people may not like
structure and organization, but there’s something about giving
yourself a rigid amount of time, and having rewards and punishments
that seem to light a fire under you and make you GO.
I’ve
given you all a lot to think about, but the main thing to remember is
that if you want to write, you need to do everything in your power to
take time out of your life TO write. It can be tedious. It can be scary.
It can be heartbreaking. But it can also be easy, it can be exciting,
and it can be extremely rewarding.
E-mail
me at chickoflit@hotmail.com
with any questions or comments!
Keep
Writing.
TTFN:
Shon Bacon
Next:
Article #3: Pointers
for Newbie Writers
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