The Long and Short Reviews had the idea, so herewith, my Seven Best Ways to Procrastinate for an Author!
1) Research. It's what I do when I decide I need to know more about something in the book I'm writing. But it's not writing. It's spending hours looking up things like how the ancients made toothpaste. What the travel time was between Alexandria and Marsalla. What kind of food did they eat, and what subjects did they study in school...were there schools back then? I better look it up...
2) Chocolate. Because you need chocolate for inspiration, but there isn't any, so you have to go out and buy some.
3) Shopping. You need to buy chocolate so you go to the store. Once there, the promise you made to yourself that you would not get distracted evaporates as you browse around in the fruit and veggie section pretending you are going to eat something healthy, and as you leave the store you notice there is a sale in your favorite deco store, and why not stop and get some fresh bread? And there is the Turkish shop that is so fun to go to...
4) Housework. Why can't I just sit down and write when there are dust bunnies on the floor and dirty dishes in the sink? Why should I care? Why? But I get out the vacuum cleaner and clean, Anyhow, my characters were not listening to me.
5) Hearthstone. My son't fault. I love to play Hearthstone. I get a tiny bit frustrated with how a chapter is going, and I decide to play a round of Hearthstone cards. I finally stop when I realize I have to go to bed or I will not be able to get up the next day.
6) Facetime. It's fun to chat, and even more fun to chat with Facetime. "Hello! Are you busy?" I always say no!
7) Walk the Dog. If it's sunny, I can't stay inside and write! I have to go out and walk the dog. And if it's raining, I have to walk the dog, because dogs don't melt. And he has to go out, rain or shine. And so I ignore my characters' screams of frustration becuase I'm not telling their story - I'm out the door, with Auguste - but I'll be back later! I promise!
What are your best ways to procrastinate?
Yes, housework is a fantastic way to procrastinate on writing. Haha!
ReplyDeleteI know - and after, when everything is all clean, I'm usually too tired to write, lol.
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