A lot of writers I’ve associated with have this thing about writing – they make it some kind of ritual.
“It’s gotta be in a quiet room.”
“I have to have my cup of coffee next to me.”
“I must have Bach playing in the background.”
“I have to be sitting at my special desk in my special office.”
“With Metallica playing in the background.”
“I must write first thing in the morning.”
“I can’t write under a full moon.”
“I can only write after I’ve done my yoga.”
WHAT. EVER.
To me, that sounds like a bunch of excuses. If I have to wait until I’m “in the creative mood” or until “the muse strikes” or until I’ve done the dishes – I will never write.
At least, I will produce so infrequently I might as well call it a hobby and forget about having a career as a fiction writer.
Imagine trying to apply those conditions to your 9 to 5 job. Yeah, the boss will really go for that. “Uh, sorry boss, can’t come in today, I’m just not FEELIN’ it, you know?”
To me, the only way to conform to Rule #1 is to do away with those ritualistic notions and make like Nike: JUST DO IT.
You don’t need to be able to set aside two hours. If you have 25 minutes on your lunch break – WRITE. If you have a 35 minute bus ride to work – WRITE. If you have ten minutes to wait at the dentist – WRITE. If you have a four minute commercial break during your favorite TV show – WRITE.
All those increments add up. Pretty soon you’ve written for two hours – just not all at once. Two hours a day x 750 words/hr = a half million words a year. Not bad at all.
I’ve conditioned myself to be able to write on demand – any place I may be, no matter the environment, no matter how much time I may have. And that has made a world of difference to my productivity.
Of course, every writer is different. We all have a different “process.” But I don’t consider PROCRASTINATION a valid part of any process.
For those who say, “I can’t write if there are distractions,” I say – give it a try. Keep trying. You’ll be surprised what you can do if you try (and believe you can succeed).
In fact – minimize this window, pull up your WIP, and give it a try right now! And then report back about your experience!
As AssassinWare’s protagonist, Scott Faraday, likes to say, “There’s no time like the now.”
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