Sharpening Pencils, Or Writers' Procrastination Methods

So, what do you find yourself doing to put off writing?

LOL, I get brain-freeze. Right now I'm on a writing frenzy but sometimes the well dries up. Oops I best be gett'n to the dishes and the vacuuming and...well you know LOL

Pretty funny, as I sat down to write a piece and have been "sharpening pencils" by commenting on Gather instead. Writing comments is so much less stressful than writing a piece of your own. Maybe I'm sharpening the keyboard, then...

Aileen, when my thoughts are vague and nebulous I read. I read and read until an idea grabs me.

I am tempted to try and be humorous except I have been thinking a lot about this particular issue and find it no laughing matter. Here is my take on it. Each word a serious author puts down on paper - what have you - is like a painter putting a mark on an empty canvass. Both are attempting to induce significant change by articualting a piece of experience that has - at least for them - never been described in the same way. I am talking about making changes. I know that change always means going from the familiar into the unfamiliar. This is why change always stirs a certain degree of separation anxiety.
Procrastination is really a defense against experiencing uncomfortable anxiety. So if I am right about this analysis - the key to following through on good intentions to write is anxiety management. This is another story but the solution to a problem is clear once the problem is accurately defined. No?

Aileen, guess what I am doing? Packing (followed by a big "yuck"). I want to write but have been taking breaks in packing to try to a catch up on reading and commenting instead. I feel the need to write but it has to be Gather-worthy and I can't think straight enough to sit and focus right now. Maybe later while I am watching a DVD?

Personally, I think procrastination is dread of failure. When all else fails, read.

Deborah, the dishes will wait til the frenzy passes!

KR, I am glad to hear I'm not the only one here who should be writing!

Donna, I read, too, but sometimes will use it as an excuse not to write. Not good!

Gibbs, good thought, but why can't we just convince ourselves that the words don't have to be perfect from the start? Who was it who said something like the best novels are rewritten?

Laurie, I have never tried packing as a procrastination method. I will pack only when I absolutley have to!

Carl, I think you are right!

Aileen, sharpen away. Why put yourself under the pressure of compulsion to write?

I just go with the flow: I write when I feel like it, go for a ride on my motorbike as I please, visit family and friends or just sit in the garden.

Magi

yes, my sharpening pencils is reading on gather!! i don't clean. wanna come over? we can talk out your article into a tape recorder!! :)

Nicola, the problem is I haven't felt like working on the stuff for publication in more than a month! It won't get published that way!!

Jessie, I'll be right over! I'm rewriting the novel, polishing, so extra input would be appreciated!

Aileen - You might try pushing yourself somewhat. Imagine you are going to tackle your next assignment be it write the next thought, paragraph whatever. At some point you will stall. Now stay with whatever it is that you are feeling. Try to asssociate to the feeling. If there is anxiety then there is a real or imagined threat that you are fearing. Since it is natural to turn away from a perceived threat utilizing any one of a thousand different ways to procrastinate - it does temporarily relieve the uncomfortable anxiety but creates additional negative feelings such as inadequacy. No win. There are many different threats associated with anxiety. One of course is a fear of failure but the opposite fear of success can also occur. Then there are other potential threats like no one will take you seriously, or you aren't really saying anything original etc.

It is amazing!! I will read more than I write. I need to be more disciplined.

I comment on articles or sleep and hope something pops, I mean, pray something pops into my head. I'm like Jessie, why clean?

Gibbs, I do need to give myself a quota, I think, just to get back in the game. I still haven't opened Word today!

Linda, don't we all!

Serina, cleaning feels like a legitimate excuse not to write. It's not playing, so I can justify it!

I find that when I force myself to write, I can, for the most part, keep going. It's that "getting started" that's the hard part.

I get a lot of email every day, so I'm constantly checking it, chatting online, visiting various Yahoo groups I'm a part of for my publishers and whatnot. I also enjoy updating my blogs, doing a little promo and perhaps editing and re-reading what I've written previously.

The problem is, it's like I do everything in my power not to write, even when I have the time. Writing time is precious to me. I have four kids to homeschool, a house to keep clean, dinner to make, errands to run, bills to pay . . . When I have some uninterrupted time at the computer, a lot of the time I stare at the screen. Even when I know where I want to go with the story.

Someone else used the artist analogy, but I'll expand it a bit. If you draw, forcing yourself to draw will produce a picture, but will it be a masterpiece? Will it be something you can be proud of at the peak of your creativity? Can creativity be forced?

I've written many a book under a deadline, and perhaps I work best under pressure, as I've never missed one. But when I don't have a deadline, I hem and haw and "find something better to do". So it would seem that for me, at least, I CAN force my creativity to a point. But it's the "forcing" part that's hard to break through.

~~Becka

You have to prepare yourself mentally for writing like when you prepare yourself for a race. If you think you can then you will. When I run I set a goal for myself, like 8 laps, and I mentally prepare myself that if I don't do the whole eight laps then lose. That's what writers should do. Sit down and say that you're going to at least write one quality page in a certain amount of time or you lose. Pretty soon you'll find yourself excelling, beating your previous record.

Rebecca, I think creativity has to be forced. Look at the more prolific authors. There is no way a mind can produce that much without making yourself sit down and do it. Admittedly, the better stuff comes on its own, but the forced stuff can be polished later.

Charlene, I never thought of telling myself I lose. That might do it!

Aileen - I totally understand where you are coming from - I do write all the time - even when I'm not at a computer - today at lunch, while editing I was writing down new titles. I think that it is just what one focuses on. In writing classes, I tell students - just start from right here - from this moment - do you have skin - is it soft - do you have an elbow - where is it? Are you alive - are you breathing - what color is your breath - what color is the moment - how tall is your day - I mix and match questions. Write about what you know. Start with yourself - with your day - with your world - with your dog - any subject will work - Just tell it - show us - what color is the dog and are his fleas purple? Does he walk on paw or on slippers? Just grab a moment,capture it and describe it. Don't even think about it - just channel out the words - eventually, this will become a habit. From your wonderful comments, I know you won't have a problem discribing things... Ok I'm going into extra endings! Salud,!

Oh and P.S. I read all the time and I write all the time - just keep writing - write and write and write ! Read as much as you can...ok time to go write meself! SAlud,

Mariana, I think that is part of the problem - I was used to writing at lunch and after work. While I am job hunting, I have all the time in the world to write and rewrite. Fear of success, perhaps?

Hell no - You just have fear of being honest - just write - I am serious - Aileen - try not to think just write from your subconscious. Believe me, I'll be your coach and I will make your think and see things in ways you've never visualized them before - is the dogs hair frizzy, curly or what...describe describe - you have worlds swirling and twirling in front of your eyes - you have a wealth of information. Just describe. Don't worry about writing for any one - just describe the moment at hand - don't worry about commas or any of that stuff - who cares - it can be edited later - for example - describe your dog's mouth. More later. SAlud,

Good thoughts, Mariana!

Put off writing? That exists? I put off cleaning to write !!!

Mariana's right. Write from your subconscious. Best before coffee or middle of the night...just type...wine if you need it...

Kathryn, once I get going everything else falls aside. It's just getting myself to sit down and start!

Aha, I see !!!

Interesting topic Aileen! For me, the problem is that I can get into a routine and get everything physical accomplished ... but my ideas and inspirations don't seem to want to play along. It's the old left brain vs. right brain thing.

I will make a list or say, "today I'll get this and that done" -- and after it's all done I will give myself time to write. But when it's scheduled like that my mind draws a blank. Then maybe later, while I'm driving in the car listening to tunes, or in the middle of folding laundry, something will hit me and I will rush to the computer or grab a pen and paper and write. If the ideas keep flowing then I might even forgo other things and continue writing ... Unfortunately, or fortunately, I've been experiencing writing burn-out lately, and thus have been more focused on getting things accomplished. But for me, I think that's a good thing.

Hi Aileen,

I am not into writing, just started doing so here to communicate with people and express myself even vent off.LOL But I do have the same problem trying to design things...Sometimes I find it extremely difficult to sit down and getting on with it while at other times I can not stop.
Perhaps it is a fear of failure -as someone else said here- but perhaps it is not so complicated, perhaps it is just a primal fear of beginnings, of initiating action, of new starts, of heading into a new unknown, who knows?
I notice that most people have this, be it artists, writers, designers, musicians etc.I would say the more you think about it, the larger a beast it becomes.Relax and get on with whatever distractions until you are relaxed enough and will naturally start writing again.I think the main thing is not to think about it, not to focus on the issue of the blockage, take it as something natural.At least this is what I do.

I can certainly identify. So many things seem to come up just when you have decided to write something.....or try to.

Aileen,
The Internet has done to writing what national radio broadcasts did to vaudeville. Before radio began exposing the entire country to entertainment simultaneously, a vaudeville act could spend years perfecting a single act and simply move from town to town finding a fresh audience with each stop.
When those same acts were faced with the dilemma of coming up with a new act every time the chance to appear on a national radio popped up, the vast majority of them quickly failed becasue they couldn't produce new high-quality material on demand.
Before the Internet dominated how people share the written word, publications like magazines , books, and newspapers , gave writers much more time to develop their next idea. When the Internet started demanding new product every day, many writers either failed or drastically altered the way they write.
Gather is trying to offer high-quality content on a daily basis. While this may be what is required in order for the site to succeed, it does not make it any easier for genuine inspiration to come to the writers who publish to the site. The result is writer's block.
In order to not burnout, every one of us has to come to grips with the facts that there will be times when we ,as writers, want or need to come up with a great idea NOW !, but " It don't work that way ".
Inspiration comes when it comes. While you can work at creating great pieces of writing "on demand" none of us actually get to the point where we create "great stuff" on demand.
Don't underestimate the value of "sharpening pencils" when a block rears its ugly head. By allowing our minds to cool off, we very often create a space in our brain that inspiration can creep back into the next time it wants to pay us a visit..

Great piece Aileen. I come up with my ideas while doing the "sharpening pencils" routine. It's not avoidance but part of the process.

The writer has a life to live other than just writing. So, even a writer has to take time to do whatever is there to do, by prioritizing each work. Then there is no question of procrastination. Procrastination is postponing the high priority jobs because of laziness or mental inertia. Excellent article, Aileen.

You were writing about me Aileen! Thats how my day goes too! I am mired in the fifties tradition of family and housework. Dont get me wrong, I write in my head all the time and even jot down lines, but I feel guilty if I just let the dishes pile up. thats it. I need an office and to give myself permission to write. Thanks for sharing!

I can completely relate to this one, Aileen. My law school apartment was never cleaner than it was during the study week leading up to exams.

Bonnie, I don't often have problems figuring out what to write when I sit down, it is just actually sitting down to write that I stall out at!

Emmanuelle, I think you are write about it affecting anyone of creative interests!

Wilhelmina, I love it! I can't some up with that much when writing a post, and you do it for a somment!

Cheryl, thanks for commenting!

George, I hope you are right!

Stephen, I need to start paying better attention, I guess!

Dolphi, thanks!

Mary, yes, definitely give yourself permission. I'd go nuts without the outlet.

Jake, thanks for commenting!

I've been meaning to post again here, but I kept putting it off...

LOL, KR!

Aileen: Can you please republish this to the Writer's Block group? I would sure appreciate it. As for me, I avoid writing with the usual emails, Gather reading and phone calls.

Will do, Martha, thanks!

I have the opposite problem, I can write until the cows come proverbially home, but everything around me is falling apart.

hilarious but so true....hmmmm....think of it as a gearing up process?

Lisa, i am jealous!

Lisa, I go through those spells, too!

Maura, good thought, thanks!

I don't do anything to put-off writing, but I often do nothing to put off writing - it just seems to happen that way. LOL! Am I making myself clear? ;)~ More beer now, I'll write later!

I enjoy ifting random thoughts until one that may have found a hidden reting place comes to the fore. If it appeals to the feelings og the time I can scribble a few notes to test the fit - and go on from there.

I find my computer catalog of photos a helpful source for ideas; fortunately they're cataloged by time and subject.

Sounds very organized - sometimes random iterations result in fun - or frustration.

Procrastination is my middle name. One of my dearest friends gave me a little sign that I put above my computer. It reads: "Don't rush me. I'm waiting until the last minute." Working at home is tough. There was a Cathy cartoon that showed Cathy sitting at her computer and suddently the laundry calls out to her. She answers: "...What? It's 10:00 a.m.! Executives don't do laundry at 10:00 a.m." Then she hears "Wash the dishes! Scrub the oven!" and she answers, "I'm WORKING here! This is a BUSINESS!" More voices: "Clean the closets! Clean the bathtub! Pay the bills! Make the bed! Wash the windows! Dust the blinds!" She screams, "QUIET!" Finally, she thinks to herself, "The noise of a busy office is nothing compared to the racket of an empty house."

I love this cartoon. Good luck to you in your writing. There are so many distractions.

David, I'll bet the beer helps put off writing, LOL!

Albert, I do keep an idea file for those random thoughts, or started ramblings, in hopes they one day flesh themselves out.

Redna, I used to handwrite everything first because it flowed better that way. Bow I can get the flow while typing. Good thing, as my handwriting is horrible!

Andrea, that cartoon says it so well!