For writers, it’s also the bane of deadlines and the
arch-villain of productivity.
For me, the vast majority of procrastination
comes courtesy of the Internet. Writing
is a solitary job. A chance—any
chance—to socialize with like-minded people isn’t just taken, it’s eagerly
seized with both hands. Twitter is my
kryptonite. That’s how I get my book
industry news and keep up with writer /agent/editor friends. It’s like an office water cooler for
writers. We may write for a living, but
we do like to cluster together and talk shop, better still if we can do it
while imbibing adult beverages. (If
you’re at a conference or convention and wonder where all the writers are, just
find the hotel bar.)
I don’t remember how I procrastinated before the
Internet came along, but I’m sure I found something to lure me away from the
humongous manual typewriter I wrote my first two “practice novels” on. Procrastination and writing go hand in
hand. Nowadays most writers do their
work on computers, and most of those computers are connected to the
Internet. Some writers can claim
research as an excuse. I can’t. I’m a fantasy writer; what I write, I make up.
I don’t need the Internet for that. I’m incredibly productive at my family’s
mountain cabin — no Internet, no TV, three radio stations. I get an amazing amount of work done. Hmm, I
wonder why?
It’s not just the computer’s fault. Actually, it’s
completely my fault; the computer is just an innocent bystander, a tool of
procrastination. When I’m working on a
particularly tough section of a book, I also have what has to be the cleanest
house in the neighborhood. I get an
inexplicable need to do five loads of laundry, dust the bookcases, clean the
cat box (okay, that’s a real need), empty the dishwasher, and ooh, looky,
there’s three bananas left. Must. Bake.
Banana bread.
I like to tell myself that I’m merely allowing time
for a particularly juicy plot point to stew, or that I’m multitasking, or that
I’m “taking a writing break.” Yeah. Right. What I’m doing is avoiding the
book. Writing is hard work. Contrary to what non-writers probably think,
words just don’t fall out of our heads onto the page. Aside from being messy, it just doesn’t
happen that way. For me there’s the
pressure (and fear of failure) to get the vividness of the scene running like a
movie in my head onto the page. A book
that’s not finished is a book that doesn’t suck. But when you’re under contract and on
deadline, not finishing is not an option.
So, what’s the solution to procrastination? Having someone yell “sit down!” every time I
start to stand up would work (well, might work). Saying “no” to procrastination takes the same
discipline and dedication that drove me to not give up during those years of
submitting books and getting rejected.
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