Procrastinating?
This could be one reason why.
Hello,
This is Polly. And I am procrastinating.
I’ve got a chapter to revise. Needs to be out by 4 p.m. It is 12:51 and I feel flooded with ideas and restlessness. I’ve done the walk thing. Felt antsy the whole time.
Refilled my new fountain pen, which was kind of messy but totally fun. It is time to write. And, I am having a hard time with it.
Often my writing is driven by curiosity and sometimes fear. I am a rule follower. This means I do not miss deadlines so I never procrastinate when I’m on deadline.
On the other days when I don’t write at all, I don’t feel good anyhow. It’s unsettling. Writing is one of the habits of my life, like brushing my teeth—and flossing—which I do because, again, I’m a rule follower.
Today, it isn’t that I don’t want to write, it’s that I don’t know what to write. I don’t know what I’m trying to say.
What is the Point?
If you are finding it hard to get the writing out, to make sense of it, to settle down and start, it might be because the work isn’t focused enough.
I have the entire chapter written, but now, looking back at it, I’m not sure what the point of it is, or what I’m trying to do. What does the character want? (Even nonfiction stories have characters). How does this action move the story forward?
If I can’t make sense of it, the readers have no chance.
In my nonfiction work, if I’m struggling with the writing, it’s often because I’m unclear about the structure or focus and that usually means I’m unprepared. I haven’t done enough research, and I don’t know enough to write it yet.
This restlessness for me today the kind that manifests in pen refilling and other activities is because I don’t know what I need my writing to do.
What Now?
Well, you sit down and get to work. Look at the work and the context. Scrutinize the motivation of your character. Study the market—the audience you are writing for—identify what they need to know, and understand what they care about.
No matter what I’m writing, when I know what I’m trying to accomplish with the essay or article, chapter, or copy, I know better how to write it.
That’s an anecdote to procrastination.
Simply Write,
-p
