Oh, procrastination. We are old friends. This is stage of the writing process when I will do about anything to avoid digging in real, honest to goodness writing.   I have great excuses to put off writing for a bit longer. I have a galley due tomorrow and I just received revisions for my October book that need to be on my editor’s desk by St. Patrick’s Day. (Is there still life outside my studio?)
St. Patty’s is an easy deadline day to remember…for a girl with a bit of Irish blood in her veins. Turn in the book revisions, then celebrate with a Guinness. I’ve been told that Guinness cures what ails you. I am hoping that it will cure procrastination–something I am plagued with every time I am about to begin writing a new novel–which is very, very soon.
Authors and Procrastination
When it comes time to write a book, I get scared. Everyone does, whether its your first novel or your one-hundredth. What if I can’t write a decent story this time? What if I can’t find my characters? What if the story is booooring? Sure, I’m excited about the new story, I am just afraid to start writing it…so I procrastinate. I procrastinate with a passion (I will even willingly clean out the fridge to avoid writing) until my deadline is looming and if I don’t manage to write ten gazillion pages a day, I will never meet my deadline. Terrible for my health. I know this and yet even after five books my process never seems to change.
But I have a plan this time. (See below)
How to Outwit Procrastination
For the Unpublished:
Before I was published, I tried setting myself imaginary deadlines. In the back of my head though, I knew they were not real. They didn’t have the power to keep my rear in the chair and my fingers moving across the keyboard.
Fake deadlines are no match for Procrastination.
Real Deadlines Force You to Write: Enter CONTESTS
What did work for me then was a contest deadline. I looked at listings of writing contests out there, particularly those being judged by editors I was targeting(agents often judge too). I entered the first of those and BOOM, I had a firm deadline.
If you are starting fresh, think about entering a Query Letter contest first. They are out there, I promise. All that is required is a one-page (or two, tops) letter pitching your book. Doing this forces you to develop your pitch (or logline) by requiring you to condense your story down to a few lines.
The next sort of contest to consider is a Synopsis contest. Flesh out the story pitch from your query letter and write a Synopsis (usually 1 double-spaced page per 10,000 words of story—or less if possible).
Then it’s time to tackle the First Chapter contest. Write your first chapter without looking back (the Don’t Look Back method), then edit once you’ve reach the end of the chapter. Not before (seriously, if you have a tough inner critique, like I do, you will never finish a chapter if you edit as you go. It’s so easy to keep writing and rewriting the same pages. Don’t allow yourself to do that.)
The next contest to consider is one where your Proposal will be judged. A proposal is a synopsis and the first three chapters. So write two more chapters following the same Don’t Look Back method as you used for the first chapter.
Do this and woohoo, you have a completed proposal! Might be a fine time to start shopping for agents–since all you need is a Query Letter, and Proposal.
The hardest part comes now. Finishing the #$%&$&# book. This is the hardest step for a procrastinator. Before I was published I needed a hard deadline to push me over the finish line. So, I sent in my entry fee for the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Contest . This contest is judged by editors from all of the big New York publishing houses. The rules are strict. If you enter, but don’t send your completed manuscript, you won’t get your money back (about $50). A high percentage of authors who win or place in this huge contest become pubished. I wanted to give it shot even if my lone motive for entering then was to finish my book.
I met the contest submission deadline(my FedEx bill was high, but I actually slid in under the wire). Surprisingly, I actually won the contest, got a lot of publisher notice and was published. Writing Romance or books with a strong romantic element? Why not give the Golden Heart Contest a shot yourself?
The Lisa Kleypas Solution (for everyone!)
I am starting Book Six on April 3, beginning with some light plotting. Real writing will begin (after the kids’spring break) on April 17th. The book is not due until November 1. Plenty of time. Too much time for me…I am sure to procrastinate if I don’t have a plan.
So here is my solution, provided by mega-star author Lisa Kleypas. ‘Write 1000 words a day before you do anything else.’
One thousand words is doable for me. This is about 5 pages, using standard manuscript formatting. This will take me about one hour, sometimes more if the story is slow coming that day, or if my internal editor is trying to interfere. To skirt that internal editor, I will write the 1000 words using the Don’t Look Back method above. When I finish the 1000 words, I can edit, but not a minute before. Then I do it all again the next day.
Wanna join me?
