Queen of Procrastination

I never thought of myself as a procrastinator, but I've come to the sad conclusion that I'm wrong. NaNo is looming and I'm not getting anything done that I need to get done.

Let me take you through a typical writing session over the last two days (cue Queen's "Under Pressure"):

• Open new document in Word
• Try to locate note cards for this outlining thing I'm trying
• Notice my shredder is getting full 
• Empty shredder since tomorrow is trash day
• Pause to watch miner emerge from gerbil tube *tear up because his kid is crying*
• Wonder how many pages will be in this chapter
• Consider using chapter titles instead of just numbers
• Wonder how many chapters there are in Jane Eyre
• Run to my bookshelf to see (XXXVIII, if you're wondering)
• How many chapters is that in actual numbers? (38)
• Realize I have a headache *take some Tylenol*
• Oh, look, another miner
• Return to Word document 
• Type one sentence and stare at it
• Wow, I never filed that nail that I chipped today at work *file nail*
• Locate note cards on the floor under the desk
• Try to put note cards back in order
• See a spider crawling on the ceiling
• Watch it to make sure it doesn't decide to drop into my hair
• How many of these miners are left?
• Picture a clown car shaped like a gerbil tube *smile*
• Realize it's really getting late *yawn*
• Better get a good night's sleep so I can start fresh tomorrow.
• Word count  - 19

Planning or Procrastination?

I'm a planner. No doubt about it. I plan everything down to the last detail. Lists are my life and when I'm not writing one, I'm keeping a running one in my head. At. All. Times. Well, I do sleep...but sometimes I dream about stuff I need to put on a list. Let me tell ya, it's exhausting!

But planning is good, or so I've been told. Lots of people have said so,

He who fails to plan, plans to fail.

If you don't have a plan for yourself, you'll be part of someone else's.

Here's the thing. I've come to realize that I list so I don't have to actually DO
the things on the list. I get to feel like I'm doing something important without DOING anything. It's like spending all of your time on duotrope.com (LOVE you guys) without submitting anything to anyone. Sadly, that is procrastination.

Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

And my favorite,

Procrastination is like Masturbation; in the end you're just screwing yourself.

I will try harder, be stronger and stop procrastinating. This blog will help me do that. I am planning committed to doing at least three posts per week. Now maybe that new WIP will become a finished manuscript that I can send queries out for, hook my dream agent and get published. Not like I'm making a list or anything.