Do It Right Now

Writing and procrastination. They seem to go hand in hand, don’t they?

Pirates procrastinate like no one’s business. Something to do with the rum. Boatswain Terri doesn’t know how to procrastinate (see: yesterday) because she schedules in her own rum and potty breaks, but we other pirates don’t have schedules—and we find that free time where we get to choose how to spend it when we get it is wasted on rum, men, and song.

These are not bad ways to waste time. There was this brawn lad in Glasgow once I…. Uh, gotta keep the blog length manageable, but let me say, it’s not a bad way to spend time. It just won’t get your book written. You need to write your book.

We procrastinate for the craziest of reasons. Like…I’m waiting for my muse to inspire me. No, your muse is drunk with you—and trying to steal your men while she’s at it. Waiting for your trollopy muse to inspire you is like waiting for a man to get up and do the dishes.

You end up doing the dishes, right? Usually after you’ve nagged him to death and finally given up he will do anything about it. And the dishes are just as clean and done as if you had had him do them.

So reverse your normal mantra and instead say: Write now, procrastinate later.

What’s your favorite thing to procrastinate on? And how do you procrastinate? Any rum takers?

P.S. I’m promoting The Romance Vagabonds today because Dee S. Knight is blogging today. www.romancevagabonds.com. She writes these *hawt* books with characters so real you want them to be your neighbors. Go talk to her!

The Art of Flow

When the work is flowing, it will feel like a river coursing, a wind blowing, a door opening – with the creator herself having become only a conduit, a tube, a funnel, a hinge. Even if it bears the marks of her own personality, her own time-bound existence on the planet the world’s impetus comes from a mysterious source outside the self.
~Erica Jong~


I can move through life for weeks without one inspiration, then at the very last moment I expect it my muse strikes like lightening. I’m sure you all have experienced the same phenomenon. You’re sitting in a restaurant with your family and unexpectedly, you see a flash of the perfect solution to the scene you have been wrestling in your mind for weeks.

My ultimate high is sitting in front of my computer after a revelation, typing as fast as my fingers can move, as the words flow from my mind to the page. That moment is when it all comes together, when every word that I type seems better than the last.

It’s like magic.

Trying to explain to a non-writer what it is like to create the perfect scene is difficult. It’s why we need to share our experiences in support of our craft.

Athletes get high on physical performance. Pirates get high on the pillage of hidden treasure.*g* Politicians get high on the campaign and the smooze, but writers get high on the articulation of words.

In the operating room when my entire day has been as proficient as clock work the satisfaction is about a job well done, but putting the finishing touch on a story that I have created is so much more. Writing is something that I do solely on my own. I don’t depend on anyone for the equipment to do the job but me.

This brings me back to the subject of my fickle muse.

My muse and I can be either best buds or mortal enemies, but when she really comes through for me, she gives me the best gift of all.

The right words to get the story told.

When your muse checks in after a long dry spell, do you feel the same high?