Now that my old horrendous projects are done and I am FREE FREE FREE to write, I sometimes find that I must be very organized or else I might just procrastinate. Not that I would ever actually procrastinate, you know, because writers just do not do that (I think there will be a penalty box for using procrastinate this many times in a paragraph.) Anyway, organization. This, I have. And because you, too, may need to be organized in your writing, I will give you the anatomy of my writing day so far:
8:00 a.m. Attempt to look human. Scare the cat. Give up.
9:00 a.m. Wow, lots of journals and blogs to read. But reading is GOOD for a writer, so this I do because it will refill the well, so to speak. Plus I might see something good to steal inspire me.
12:00 a.m. Have a diversion... get lectured by an idiot client who has made so many mistakes, when she says something like, "And the next time you work for us," bite your tongue to keep from saying, "Over your dead and rotting body," even though you secretly are planning for just that event.
1:00 Decide the phones are going to be quiet long enough to write. Open the file. Promptly start answering the next three billion calls to be placed in the unvierse, including one from a guy in Tennessee who is utterly CONVINCED that you really are his friend Brandy who he claims to be going into town to visit the next day and why are you messing with him pretending not to be his dear dear friend. (Start to feel really sorry for Brandy.)
3:00 Look at the file again. Change the file title to Chapter Two because you finished Chapter One. Wonder briefly if that counts for writing for the day. Decide that maybe you actually have to make a paragraph or something.
4:00 Wonder if there are any one chapter books selling very well these days.
5:00 Start a sentence. Form an idea, a visual image that finally FINALLY finally is a real and true breakthrough and be thrilled and then have your entire family decide that the must AT THAT VERY MOMENT have your UNDIVIDED ATTENTION because LIFE WILL END AS THEY KNOW IT if you don't hear what they did for the day.
6:00 Try not to kill family. Not entirely sure they would let me have the laptop in prison.
7:00 Look back at the paragraph, the three words that started it anyway, and start to get back on track. Realize that you are effing brilliant. BRILLIANT. All you have to do now is keep going.
8:00 That one sentence may be too brilliant to be followed with anything else. Ponder if anyone will buy the book just for second sentence. Decide that maybe, not so much.
8:01 Suddenly realize you are STARVING and you will DIE RIGHT THEN AND THERE if you don't get something, preferably chocolate, but anything really will do. Decide that you will be much better after eating.
10:00 Everyone is asleep (or at least, quiet) and you fire up the laptop and look at that lame first sentence and decide it sucks rocks and you delete it. Think maybe you just need to wake up your brain, so you go off to play a game.
11:00 Admit that WeBoggle is the Devil. Or crack. But your average standing in the game is usually first or second, so maybe it did rev up your brain. Just one more game....
12:00 Freak out that a whole hour has passed AGAIN and decide that you absolutely are not going to turn off the computer unless you WRITE SOMETHING and it has to be decent. Promise yourself chocolate ice cream.
12:15 Debate with yourself as to whether a lame list entry is really "writing" and admit, ashamed, that you really really want to open that stupid game again.
12:30 Write a whole paragraph. Breathe a sigh of relief because you really have to get some ice cream and now you can. Except... you kinda want to keep going. So you do, and you get a whole section done. (Or you lie about it in a list to not look so lame. You pick.)
1:00 Decide that snoring sound might be coming from you since you may have possibly nodded off in the chair. Give up, go to sleep so you can be awake early again and be "productive."
So, there ya go. Just keep doing like I'm doing, folks, and you, too, will be the proud owner of a finished novel before... um.... 2100.
Posted by toni at May 27, 2004 12:20 AMThat sounds much like my day only add a kid asking for a snack/lunch/dinner or to go out and play every hour. At least you get your document opened up a few times, sometimes I don't even get that far.
Posted by: Amanda at May 27, 2004 07:42 AM