I've been meaning to write this for weeks, but the time never seemed right. I mean, where's the harm of putting it off for another week or so? It's not like anyone is breathlessly awaiting my few words of dubious wisdom so why not do something else, something more pleasant than bitching about doing it,after all, the appointment isn't for two hours and it's only an hour's drive away or I'll start the dinner later, no sense letting the food cool or the deadline is still weeks away: I still have time. Excuses, excuses, excuses - anything that will put it off, whatever "it" happens to be.
I must admit to the affliction of procrastination. Some of it is pure laziness, a little worrying if a story is good enough, if it's as good as it can be, or just is a piece of crap not worth the price of a stamp or even the push of a button. Yes, and there's the fear of rejection that no matter how many sales you have is ever in your mind. I've managed to overcome that last, but not my reaction when it happens. But still I hesitate over a piece and then hesitate some more.
When a new idea comes to me I can draft at a fair rate, but usually tap out after two hours and have do ANYthing else. Successive two hour sessions work sometimes, but not always and hardly ever at night. My editing speed is somewhat slower mostly because I try to craft each sentence and paragraph into sensibility. When my primary editing (first pass) is done I usually begin the real process of writing - drafting new material to enhance or improve the story, shifting things around a bit here and there, and, of course, editing the entire story once more so it will appear to have come from the same hand. I call this latter, painstakingly slow bit the plodding stage.
Would that each story went smoothly through the above stages like clockwork. Instead I find excuses to stop and work on something else (I have about twenty pieces at various stages now.) Often I will work on a new idea so I don''t have to work on something underway. Even when I manage to successfully finish something I find myself asking whether it is good enough, knowing that often better is the enemy of "good enough" or if I am just procrastinating?
I must admit to the affliction of procrastination. Some of it is pure laziness, a little worrying if a story is good enough, if it's as good as it can be, or just is a piece of crap not worth the price of a stamp or even the push of a button. Yes, and there's the fear of rejection that no matter how many sales you have is ever in your mind. I've managed to overcome that last, but not my reaction when it happens. But still I hesitate over a piece and then hesitate some more.
When a new idea comes to me I can draft at a fair rate, but usually tap out after two hours and have do ANYthing else. Successive two hour sessions work sometimes, but not always and hardly ever at night. My editing speed is somewhat slower mostly because I try to craft each sentence and paragraph into sensibility. When my primary editing (first pass) is done I usually begin the real process of writing - drafting new material to enhance or improve the story, shifting things around a bit here and there, and, of course, editing the entire story once more so it will appear to have come from the same hand. I call this latter, painstakingly slow bit the plodding stage.
Would that each story went smoothly through the above stages like clockwork. Instead I find excuses to stop and work on something else (I have about twenty pieces at various stages now.) Often I will work on a new idea so I don''t have to work on something underway. Even when I manage to successfully finish something I find myself asking whether it is good enough, knowing that often better is the enemy of "good enough" or if I am just procrastinating?
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