Category: writing advice

Humanity Creates Civilization with Every Story Written

The page is blank before my eyes on the screen. My voice inside my mind echoes the words before they are typed. My fingers tap dance on the square keys of the keyboard, relaying what’s on my mind at this very moment. Yet, I’m not the only person writing today, right now. I will also not be the last to write in the near or far off future. I’m also not the only human being who has ever written before or said words on a page from the past. For speaking words turns into writing them down that shaped all manner of the civilized world all over this Earth.

You see, telling stories around the campfire, from days of our ancestors centuries ago, forms ideas for one another. The foundation of these ideas includes dwellings to keep the rain and cold out, locations to rest, and the ability to cook food with the right tools. Bathing in rivers and lakes using the right tools. Techniques for brushing your teeth with wooden bristles that have been softened. The procedure of crafting clothes and footwear. The memories of elders long dead kept alive by word of mouth were to find the freshest water to drink and the best hunting grounds. These basic items that make up daily life in a village or ancient town all began by speaking words and drawing the idea down to be reproduced. 

As writing ancient languages progressed, so did the way writing on stable materials became more commonplace. Writing with a stylus on clay to keep receipts from a merchant’s tallies of wares gathered and sent to another town. Etched on stone, gold, brass or copper were common to keep records. Even stories were kept in such a manner. To keep records of what someone has said, even a story passed down for generations, is an important process.

In ancient Egypt, 3,000 BCE papyrus was used with a wooden or reed stylus, writing hieroglyphics. Also written in stone and plant extracted pigments on temple walls told stories and spells on how to face the trials of the soul to get to paradise after death. Parchment, created by sheepskin left after the wool was removed for cloth, was cheaper than papyrus. Later, wood-pulp paper, the cost of writing materials steadily declined in price. 

Inks, quills, pens, writing desks, journals and books gradually developed around the world through trade. Everyone needed to tell their stories or keep records of sales. Documents for governmental processes to maintain city and country order were widespread in use for writing needs. Religious texts such as the Hindu Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita and the Sutras. The Abrahamic faiths of the Jewish Torah, the Bible and the Quran – all these human made books needed a place for these thoughts to be preserved for posterity. 

Let us not forget the first single language dictionary handwritten by Robert Cawdrey, published in 1604 and the Encyclopedia Britanica published in 1768. Wikipedia, an open-source form, was established in 2001. Mary Shelley wrote The Modern Prometheus in 1818 and was published shortly after. Anne Rice’s first novel, Interview with the Vampire, was written in five weeks and published on May 5, 1976. The first published cookbook by Bartolomeo Platina’s (Italy) De honesta voluptate et valetudine (“On Right Pleasure and Good Health”) was written in Latin printed in 1474.

Manuscript – handwritten by pen or pencil in a large collection of papers into a book form. During the Medieval period parchment is used to write on with homemade inks using resins, egg and pigments. Quills sharpened to a point and dipped in the ink ready to write in calligraphy penmanship by educated monks in France and Germany.

Novel – meaning new idea from a person’s personal experience of thought that come to mind suddenly. My third-grade teacher had the class in the school library at Echo Mountain Elementary school to start reading fiction. She started that day of class with this: “Did you know ‘novel’ means knew idea.” I sat at the edge of my seat hearing that definition for the first time as she held up the book, Ramona and Fudge to be read that afternoon.

Author – meaning authentic creator of a work. An author is the writer of a book, article, play, or other written work. A broader definition of the word “author” states: “An author is ‘the person who originated or gave existence to anything’ and whose authorship determines responsibility for what was created.

Without writing what is in our minds and that comes out from our mouths to tell stories to our children, our words are lost in the wind. The stories get jumbled and misunderstood, losing all the heart and soul of what was originally intended. 

Writing is a soulful and heartfelt emotional human process. The act of telling stories by campfire and then gradually cataloging our words by writing helps build civilization around the world. A sacred form of communication that needs to always be maintained and protected.

With the invention of the internet in the late 1960s, whole massive stores of words, stories, knowledge and histories are kept for anyone to study. People wrote all the words, sentences, paragraphs, pages, scrolls, books, and libraries by hand with ink and pen. This fact is often overlooked, despite the invention of the typewriter and printing press. Humanity combining their minds to accumulate and organize knowledge for the benefit of posterity.

Now, there is a greater threat. Possibly worse than when the Library of Alexandria burned to the ground in 48 BC. The threat of AI (artificial intelligence) being used to write stories and essay papers. Mere humans using this unleashed technology to cheat the art of thinking up words and sentences on their own. To fake their way through school to make a computer program, write an essay for them (which does not make a passing grade at all). 

What scares me the most about AI being used to write a piece of fiction is to cheapen the art itself. To forsake the artful work, it takes to create something original from the heart and soul of each creative human being. If AI is not kept in check by rules and regulations, the jobs of writing stories for books, television, movies, and plays will come to a halt. Even the recorded visual medium of TV, movie and home recordings (YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels, TikTok videos, etc) are a form of recorded words. The computer coding of any software is also writing and cataloging information. 

But to use AI is a total insult to all our ancestors before us for 10,000 years of human existence to be whisked away into a weakened ability to think. Even the penmanship of ‘author name’ is diluted when AI is involved. Especially when the work is plagiarized by other authentically created works by human minds and hands. Once removed from the ability to learn how to read and write, the stories told by writers will revert to words spoken. This then finally means a breakdown of civilization. If the art of writing by human minds and hands that type and write with pen are lost, our humanity dies with us. AI cannot be allowed to propagate, for it will be the end of us as we know it.

To conclude, I would like you to think of this little piece I wrote in 1997…

“Words written down,

Sketches drawn on paper,

And dreams from the mind

Last longer than words that are spoken.”

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Unsung Heroes That Hold Red Pens

A good author has an even better editor, and they deserve every dollar earned.

I really don’t care for ‘recap the year’ type stuff. A year is a time that has come and gone. If I produce any level of productivity in my writing and art, wonderful. If not, that’s normal as half the process is the writing in my mind.

This year has been far more productive, but with a few difficult starts to keep the momentum going. I just went with the flow. My editor, a friend on FB, had answered the call to take on copy edits for my book. She had never done this before but was intrigued to go with it for experience. She had always wondered how some of the processes of producing a novel happen.

From January to May, I was in overdrive to finish revising Act 1. My beta reader on Reddit from 2020 in October to December had found the mistakes. We brainstormed together and I figured it out with his help. Once learning what needed to be added and other stuff moved over to book 2, it was smooth sailing. Then the damn heat of summer slowed me down to a crawl. During that time when there was a break in the heat from June to August, I worked on the outline for book 3. All the while waiting for my beginning editor to finish her sections.

From August to November, she was on a good roll with the work in how she found basic mistakes and tightening sentences and changing the wordiness of spots that needed it. I loved her work. She found things I hadn’t even thought of. She kept the feel of the story as it was. Never overstepping. She feared that so much. But I kept assuring her she was doing a fantastic job. Yet, stupid Covid haunted her family and herself. Along with other family changes that came into her life, it slowed the work. I didn’t want her to forcefully push herself, so I let her have the power to let go of the project. However, I’m keeping her in my back pocket for future editing needs. God damn, she’s good. I wish I had her as a English teacher back in the day I was in school.

So, here it is, December. Took a few weeks off in late November to think things through and plan a form of attack in how to go into finding a professional editor through Reedsy. A more serious look into it, since Act 1 and the last few chapters of Act 3 had been seriously overhauled.

I had to work a power of elimination with the book blurb to become a 120-word size blurb to attract an editor and possibility a new beta reader on Reddit. I have my first Reddit beta reader who will be reading the repaired Act 1 since he hadn’t seen it yet. Then another friend on FB, even though the holiday season is classically crazy for everyone, he’s promised to go through my book blurb after he’s done reading draft 4 of the book as it stands. Reddit beta reader buddy has already edited the blurb a bit and another fellow author has, too, but it’s good to have a third set of eyes on it.

As for the Reedsy contracted editors, 4 out of 8 are still in the running in the hopes to be picked. I have to get in touch with my boyfriend’s sister to see if seed money to pay for the editor is possible. At least I have 2 editors who have given their estimates, which can later be negotiated in payment time and price. At least I know about how much I am expected to pay which is $1,500 to $2,500. Mind, that includes Reedsy fees for database upkeep of $175.

Why the prices are so high, you may ask? I’m paying for a professional service. I’m paying for a skill someone has in following through with a deadline given. The only professional way I can get published down the road is having one or two passes with a paid professional. That’s how this works.

As for my beginner editor from August, she learned a lot. It takes a whole hell a lot of concentration in the details to make the book shine. From her help, from what she was able to do for the edits, I learned a lot about my hang ups as a writer. I noticed the comment mistakes I made. All seasoned authors still make basic mistakes as I did. That’s why the adage – a good author has an even better editor. Editors are the unsung heroes of every single fiction and nonfiction book out there.

I do hope one of these Reedsy editors is able to do their magic for my novel. I hope I can pay them. They deserve every single dollar they make.

Book 3 will be massive

Chapter count and word count recalculated

It’s far too warm in the house to work on the book in any capacity. But, I looked at the outline set up for book 3 and I came to understand exactly where I came up with 84 chapters in my first calculations. These are ball park estimates based on how many chapters Act 1, Part 1 already has set up in the outline…This is a semi-visual representation of single spaced, size 12 font, not full published copy. I used Words Per Page for my calculations.

3 Acts per Part x 7 chapters per act = 21 chapters

21 chapters x 4 parts = 84 chapters

7,000 average word count per chapter x 84 chapters = 588,000 word count

I had an odd feeling that book 3 couldn’t handle be crunched into 200,000 words. There is far more in this book that could never be showcased effectively in book 1 or 2.

For those who may wonder, “Then why not get the third book published first since it has most of the material in it?”…first time published authors are a risk in the market. A smaller book is an easier risk to see how the market reacts to the material. Only until an author is established will the publishing company handle the printing of a larger book like that of nearly 600,000 word count. Paper is expensive and digital file size is also difficult (sort of) in how it’s presented to the reader. Not to mention the price tag attached to a smaller book compared to a much larger one.

I wish we had air conditioning in this house. THEN I could get cracking on this book. I hate summer. Oh, I’d love to stay at Starbucks to work using my tablet and wireless keyboard, but the internet has been difficult in this heat. Plus, it’s too damn hot to walk back to the house, even if I stayed at Starbucks from 4am til 8pm. Until it’s overcast and cool again, THEN I’ll stay at Starbucks to work. But I must remember to bring my ear plugs and headphones. I can’t stand some music they play.

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Odd Things Non-Writers Say

I know, not everyone writes fiction or non-fiction. Not everyone writes in general. Typing up a comment, an opinion or adding their prospective on a topic of dicussion online, is writing, but…

I’m talking about people who never read or those who do read, but never wrote a collection of short stories or a novel or two for fun. I’m pointing out those who have never written a single document past school years growing up. And after school years, never picked up a book after.

The things these types of people have said to me personally or in public, it blows my mind. (Names are taken out to protect them for obvious reasons)

“Why do you always want books for Christmas? You’re writing one of your own?” – …This one really blows my mind. This statement, spoken in person close to the holidays a few years ago, tells me they don’t read books for pleasure or for learning to expand their mind. All writer types must read diffrent forms of style and process in order to write better. Writers must study the craft. This means, we want more books on the exact craft stubject or books on a genre we are writing ourselves. I want books for Christmas, a gift card from Barns & Noble cause it makes it easier for the gift giver since they don’t know me well enough of the subjects and genre I like, I need books to study from on the craft from those before me. Yes, I can easily borrow books at the library, but a direct book that is not at the library, and if it’s particular to what I need, I can buy at the store. I keep a lot of the books on the craft of writing. I go back to the material over and over for years of study.

“All you need to do is sit down and write.” – …Oh, sweet summer child, you know nothing. It takes far more to place ass in chair, roll up to desk and start typing to pump out a book. I have a few articles I’ve already written on my author blog, that explains the common processes and my own method for myself. But to put it into simple terms here: 1) It takes planning, months or years worth for a novel. …2) It takes problem solving during the planning stages, sometimes months or years on a section to get right. Even a first draft can take some problem solving. …3) Drafts 2 and 3, to go through to flesh out the full form of the story before major edits. This process can take a year or more. …4) 6 to 8 months of major edits with critique partners. Different minds and eyes on the project itself. …5) In between each process, important breaks are needed for the mind to relax in seeing the work with fresh eyes. (These breaks include: cleaning house, grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, paying bills, reading, etc) I’ve created nearly 500+ pages worth of notes, character files, diagrams, family trees, world histories and timelines that took me years to gather in the developmental stages. It takes years to finalize a screenplay way before it ever gets looked at by a production company to become a full length movie. To create anything, it takes time and hard work. (Not to mention, the stress of Impostor Syndrome is something all writers who want to be professionally published face. Fighting the demons in her minds, the stresses of it all, lag the process down. So, again it takes time to write a 120,000 words size book.)

“What’s a novelist?” – …There are words I’ve never come across either. That’s how we learn. I use the word ‘novelist’ when I hand someone my business card or when I’m addressed diectly when asked what my job is. This person had said about my thin metal case mistaking it for a wallet, even though I use it as such. The metal container is for business cards, I told him. He then asked what my job was and I said, “I’m a novelist.” I don’t refer to the use of author, since I’m not currently published. So, this person didn’t know what a novelist was. I explained, “It’s another word for author. Someone who writes fiction.” I was abselutely taken a back by his question on the word though. He was obviously in his early 20s, but since he didn’t know the word, I blame the eduational system of the US. When I learned of the word, ‘novel’, in third grade in 1988, the English teacher saying, “We’re going to read a novel today. Novel means ‘new idea’.” I was entranced by the word. I fed off this new fact for decades. It still gives me happy chills when I use it.

I think that’s all of them. There maybe one more, but at this time, it’s slipped my mind. Oh well. To close, if you as a writer of any form come across similiar examples, remember, your book may strike their interest in reading for the first time in decades. Don’t let people who don’t read or don’t write fictions stop you from making your dreams come true. Keep writing and don’t stop.

The Real Cost of Writing Hours

All novelists, authors, writers, however you want to call these folks, they talk about word count. Most write down that glorious word count to keep track of how much work has been done. Yet, once you figure out how many words are put on a page, single spaced (500 per page) you can easily count in your head how many words came after that first page and so on. Once you start doing that, there’s really no need to worry about word count. Unless, you catalog the final current edit amount of words changed. Then you can have a base for comparison as you progress in your work.

But then there’s this…cataloging the hours actually worked on a manuscript. I’ve never heard about that in the years I’ve been surfing the internet. Watching YouTube videos on Booktube, Writertube, Authortube. No one talks about this. If there are some writers who have, post your videos.

Now, I did a bit of calculating the numbers using my own hours worked. I’m going off of the year 2020 for the first quarter since its the most hours I did before the pandemic hit the US. In the month of January – March 2020 I worked 335 hours total. I use two forms of calculating time – First, I’ll check the clock and jot down my start time. Then, I’ll listen to New Bliss ambient white noise videos on YouTube. These videos range from 3 to 8 hours. I’ll usually go for an 8 hour video if I know I’ll be typing a lot. If I take a quick break, say bathroom break or a thirty minute lunch break, I’ll pause the video. When I come back, I play the video where it left off. This way I haven’t really lost time in work. Unlike keeping a direct time schedule by a clock itself. When I’m done for the day, I’ll jot down my end time.

I’ll work 2 hours, 15-30 min break, work 2 hours, 30 min lunch, work 2 hours and finally another 15-30 min break. Then off to bed, or squeeze in another thirty minutes of work before I really go to bed. This way, I’ve worked at least 6 to 8 hours in the day. I’m treating this as I would retail work hours that I’m used to when I worked in retail. The system works perfect.

(Mind, I also take full days off my writing. Usually 2 days per week. Nearly a full week off per month. That is put into my average for this diagram)

I started thinking, how many hours would it be for a full 10 years worth of novel/manuscript work? If I take the average from the first quarter in 2020 of 335 hours….see diagram below. (Mind, these hours are a base average from my hours worked. They are not exact)

335 hrs x 4 wks = 1,340 hrs per month

1,340 hrs per month x 12 mo = 16,080 hrs per year

16,080 hrs per year x 10 yrs = 160,800 hrs for ten years

It’s not just the word count that builds up your experience per page, per manuscript. It’s the hours you put into it. It takes about 10,000 hours of training and practice to be an expert in whatever field of work you want to be in. Yet, to me, I think it takes even more hours of work to achieve expert level in manuscript writing (fiction or nonfiction). These hours include the first draft, second, third, fourth and so on when in the thralls of editing, revision and rewrites, call it what you will. It’s all writing.

So, if you look at it even further with the amount of pay authors don’t get when writing a full novel or work of nonfiction, a full 200 to 300 page book, basically an intern level at home, with or without a paying job….

$15 an hr x 8 hrs per day = $120

$120 x 7 days = $840

$840 x 4 wks = $3,360

$3,360 x 12 mo = $40,320

$40,320 x 10 yrs = 403,200 (that’s the amount of a major advance for a first time book, if you’re damn lucky)

All those hours worked for ten years on ONE manuscript for publication, and you got an advance worth $400k, that averages out nicely. But, its getting that $15 an hour paycheck of it’s full 10 years sum given to you finally.

In the long run, this would be helpful to everyone if a Universal Income was implemented into the US economy. That way, if anyone has a hobby or a long time dream to come true (a full time novelist with a paycheck), getting paid $1,000 a week would be nice to stave off the stress of paying bills, repairs to the house and food on the table while in the thralls of writing a novel. The advance would still apply to the author since it is a product they are making for sale in stores by the publisher’s process. All in all, it’s a total win for everyone.

(Disclaimer, this is not a beg on my part for myself. I’m just pointing out some pitfalls in writing to put it into more concrete prospective. A grounded point to humble myself and others in the craft of writing)

The Power of Reshoots

Editing is writing and editing is inevitable. Editing can never be ignored.

Editing a manuscript, no matter the number of draft it stands, in a visual concept can be looked at as reshoots. I’m calling my edits, at this stage in book 1, reshoots because of one factor – visually learning.

Seeing the edits in my head as a visual medium as though I’m cutting film, since I love movies, is helping me understand how to edit better. To see a previous scene in the manuscript as being shown on screen during tests. If the scene doesn’t work visually with engagement and pace, then it must be completely edited out and then reshot. Previously seeing these edits as a flat format of a 2D structure clogs my mind with paper and words. Seeing it as reshoots makes my mind happy in seeing the problem solving in action. Full color, sound and movement.

The current edits I’ve found, with the help of a Reddit user who has offered their help as a critique partner, has opened my eyes. There is a scene in book 1, chapter 2 for example, where the character Ambros is lingering in the Geraci mansion to look for more clues. The next scene shows Frankie in the dreaming for the main part of the chapter. This Ambros/Geraci mansion scene seems extra and should be on it’s own, says my CP (Critique Partner) on Reddit. They are able to see problems I couldn’t because I’m far too close to the material. Not seeing the forest for the trees, or however that saying goes.

Another chapter, chapter 3, concerning Brandon, the pace of his development is blocked by Vivian. Their interaction seems forced and unnatural cause of what’s going on. With the eyes of my CP, and my previous thoughts on the matter months ago, the Brandon character needs to be away from Vivian. By doing so, he won’t know who she is and can stay in New England interacting with Catherine in a more natural setting that his character development demanded. This will force Vivian to confront her husband more directly in what she needs to take her road trip. Now that my CP saw what I suspected and we both agree on this change, visually the Brandon character has shown himself to me in my mind. Where as before, he refused to appear. Now I understand why.

Not only are large reshoots found, so to are small fixes. Such as – descriptive aspects of a character’s house for the Umari family. I hadn’t thought about describing their house and hadn’t put a place holder on it. It had slipped my mind. I had mentioned it being a townhouse later in the book or in book 2, if memory serves me correct. But that does not excuse to lack in place markers for future needs. If ever there is a place you must go back to – leave an area in BOLD with a side note. You’ll be grateful for it later during reshoots.

Seeing my edits as reshoots has helped clear my mind to focus more directly on the material in front of me. I’m grateful for this lesson by my CP and my subconscious helping along.

Spring Flowers Of My Truth

I’m writing this article today because of this YouTube video: The Case For Fan Fiction

Since there are more authors coming forward in telling their reader base: ‘Yeah, I wrote fan fiction and it helped me learn how to write better.’…I feel strong enough mentally now to come forward to tell my piece. To allow my spring flowers to come up from the earth to see the light of day.

Fan fiction to me is an outlet to help jump start or a warming up period to writing something original. To get that feeling of the pen between my fingers. To feel the pen moving across the paper as words drip onto the page one by one. To make limber my fingers at the keyboard to type as smoothly or as awkwardly as possible. (With the joy in knowing the spell checker will always be there)

Writing fan fiction is a glorious way to practice, not just in the basic structure of sentences and word usage, but in the process that little is talked about – practice in remembering a whole story and the character(s) formations within. It takes a lot of work to flush out a whole story even if its based on someone else’s previous or current prose. Sometimes, but most often, getting your mind to wrap around the complexity of character development, plot and subplot structure and basic other story beats, there is a lot to hold onto. Writing fan fiction in the character types you loved such as, for example of my own works: 1980s My Little Pony, Dragonball Z and New Kids On The Block (Real Person Fiction), helped me understand the complexities of juggling all of these critical writing structure needs.

Learning what I watched and read of the above examples of cartoon, anime and real life people that I aspired to, I was able to flesh out fairly well constructed original stories. All the while keeping in mind the basic principals of what made those cartoon fictions and real life people who they are and what they became. Coming up with original characters is hard work, but there are times that writing fan fiction helps you understand the structure of a character(s). Fan fiction is just that important to us writers.

Now, here it is, more and more professional authors are coming out expressing that they got their start by writing fan fiction when they were teenagers. All of us writers also got our basic start in English classes and Creative Writing classes all throughout our early school years, some as far as college. However, when in between writing class assignments, spring break and summer break, what do we do? We write fan fiction to keep our skill in top shape. We keep writing no matter the subject manner as long as it is something we love and can mold to our own enjoyment.

As for my own fan fiction, I have a few, but two of them that I posted live, are made with a twist. My Fan Fiction (Mythian) “The Island”, it all came from dreams that I put together. I would wake up from the dream with a ‘…To Be Continued’ nearly each morning. I would pick up right where I left off in the dream. Finding at least thirty dreams that made up the whole of The Island, I didn’t start writing it down until 2005. The dream had kept itself hold up for so long, that I’m surprised I remembered it so perfectly to be written the way it was.

“The Nightmare” worked the same way. Dreamed it constantly every few days for a whole year. Psychologically I was trying to come to terms if being a New Kids fan was worth my time and effort. Later, wrote it down completely in 2005 or so to keep a record of its originality. Years later, I placed this into my third manuscript, but shortened it to fit my needs for that collection of characters.

On their own, The Island and The Nightmare would never do well by themselves. The way my mind constructed these dreams the only smart place for them was to weave them into my current novels. As for the My Little Pony and DragonBall Z fan fiction, they will stay right where they are and will never be changed to suit my original works. They were for warm up and practice and I love the time I put into them.

The importance of fan fiction writing can take you farther than you realize. The trick is, how do you weave your dreams into something original that will help you grow to go farther as a writer? That’s totally up to you.

Humble Before My Creation

There is something I came to understand when I was seventeen. Something that myself as an artist and possible many other artists out there, came to understand about their creative works.

This world is full of stories. The world thrives on stories of all kinds – may the stories be of gossip, news of the day by the strumming bard’s lute and song, or by stories to teach from teacher to student. A whole countless collection of fictions and real life tales of days gone by.

Each of these stories, told by many over the centuries, may take on a unique quality of existence. A life of their own far away into the universe. In an alternate universe maybe, just maybe, the stories we create to share with one another, the storyteller’s world becomes flesh; real with time in an alternate universe and world.

If this be true, the storyteller would never know of their creation being flesh. The physics of our world forbids us passage to such worlds, at least for now. The only way close enough for the storyteller to touch their creation is through television shows and movies and plays on a stage.

This is where the storyteller who created their fictional world cries; weeps for joy seeing their world made flesh. A happiness that no other artist, save for the team that helps put the fictional world into flesh, could understand what that feels like inside the heart.

Having come to realize this so long ago and revisiting it now, knowing the hard work it takes to edit a manuscript to full polished beauty for agents and publishers, I feel humble and grounded. With the hope of a final product waiting in the wings of my mind and on the page…I am more humble before my creation than ever for whatever it may become.

Acknowledge & Ignore Procrastination

I got the idea for this article of my procrastination process to work for me by listening to  The Writer Files Podcast – titled The Writer’s Brain on Procrastination Part One and Two. I had realized something about the information Kelton Reid and his guests had not quite expressed. This reminded me of what I’ve done most of my life while working on my novels Soul’s Little Lie. I thought, maybe someone might find this list useful.

Don’t get me wrong, Kelton Reid’s podcast on procrastination was helpful as a simple review for myself in which I had previously studied for the past few years. Its good to be reminded of the process of procrastination and now here’s how you can use procrastination to your benefit.

I know what procrastination is and I ignore its existence. This is how I transform the potential for procrastination into working for me.

  1. Ignoring the mental aspect – I see that I am ignoring the writing work in front of me, but I also see that it is a perfect time to breath and rest. Acknowledging that this is only a momentary time of resting my mind, allows my mind to go idle so not to stress myself into over thinking the work ahead or in front of me in that moment. – Take some time for yourself to get up from the computer, typewriter or collection of notes of your prose or article. Just as much as your body needs to stretch from sitting so long, so does your brain.
  2. Not binge watching tv shows – When there is a massive writing project that must get done and I acknowledge the possibility of procrastination that may come about, I don’t give into binge watching tv shows. If I do allow myself to take thirty minutes to three hours or more of time to binge tv shows, this opens up a plethora of creative problems. The tv show stories invade my mind to hijack my already incubating prose. I then find myself thinking of the visual and audio ques of that show feeding into more procrastination. – Once I’ve found myself not watching tv shows for weeks on end (not feeding into procrastination) my prose flow smoother and the chapters start coming along with ease. Even my note taking is fuller for that future chapter. Also, my editing sessions are finished up that much quicker.
  3. Writing Walkies – It takes me thirty minutes to an hour to walk from my house into town and through town. I’ll take these ‘Writing Walkies’ in the evening hours and be out there in the small town for an hour to four hours at a time. I’ll have my IPod with me to listen to my music that pertains to the manuscript project at hand or I won’t listen to the music, it all depends on how I want to think the current chapter or scene through. Writing Walkies may seem like procrastination, but it is more atune with making the brain go idle, to make it be at rest to allow intrusive thoughts to flow to the way side without full acknowledgement. – Once this has been achieved, of the scene flowing as I talk to myself (finding no traffic on the streets and hardly anyone outdoors at night) I’ll walk faster and feel an excitement in me to get back home to flesh out the scene notes by hand or type.
  4. Work Log – Sometimes I’ll look through my Work Log to see how far I’ve come in the progress of my manuscript. The Work Log is put into two visual places – a dry erase board calendar and a book planner calendar. I’ll do my work for a few hours, starting at 6pm (or a little later) up until 2am. On the dry erase board write down the book number, chapter number, sometimes even the amount of pages written or the time in which I’ve worked. Then I’ll transfer that log into the paper edition of the day planner in red pen. Sometimes adding side notes to what else I did in my writing or not writing. – Looking through my Work Logs for a few minutes every few days may seem like procrastination, but it is more akin to juicing myself up for the next day of work.
  5. ‘Soul Team’ Waiting – While I wait for any one of my ‘Soul Team’ in replying back to the pieces of material I sent them for edits or beta reading, I’ll just sit back and do other things. I’ll do basic chores around the house, which coincides with Cleaning Up The Stage process. I’ll do some reading to pick up where I left off, which usually I’ll read a chapter or two. I’ll even go about analyzing my Work Log or go over my notes. Sometimes, depending on the weather, I’ll do some Writing Walkies. To mix it up while I wait, I’ll play some video games and yes, I’ll watch YouTube videos in the morning but only about subjects I’m passionate about: sciences, psychology, nature, art, history or politics. Currently though, no working on artwork since my mind hasn’t flipped that switch cause of the manuscript being the main focus.
  6. Concept Illustrations – Some people would call this part a ‘side hustle’. My Concept Illustrations are far, far away from anything resembling a ‘side job that makes money’. It’s not even a ‘side project’ to me. Reason being – a small 5×7 or a large 24×18 watercolor or basic pencil and ink sketch for my novels is just for me to get a concept idea out of my head. A short fling to amuse my mind to take a break from writing. A healthy procrastination by far. However, if I’m working on my manuscripts heavily for weeks or months on end, Concept Illustration pieces don’t dare come up in my mind. I’ve even forced it, but that painter’s switch won’t click. That’s a good thing. Once my writing binge is over, which can take up to 9 months or less, only then will that painter’s switch get flicked. Then it becomes a short burst of creative juices flowing for a few days to a month at most. Then, it’s back to manuscript studies and writing for another 9 months.
  7. Prep Talk – Not at all to be confused with – Pep Talk, but close. If I feel that procrastination is making its way into a longer period of annoyance, I’ll stab it out by acknowledging it as fear. Once I’ve done that, talking to myself of how I’m feeling of a writing situation I’m in creatively, I’ll pretend those fear elements are people around me that I’ve known or have yet to know or meet. I’ll talk back to the ‘visual hallucination‘ (that I’m conscious of making in my mind) and I’ll act out that situation in the room. I’ll do this when its just me in the house alone, so no interruptions by anyone else crossing my path so I can concentrate. Subjects I’ll confront of this fear induced procrastination are – a) having an argument with an editor. b) reminding myself how much passion I’m backing this writing project. c) the main reasons for wanting to become a published author with a book or two on shelves. The costs I’m willing to make to make my dream come true and how much all of this means to me. – Once this Prep Talk is finished, the lingering leftovers of that possible procrastination has faded and I jump back on board to working on the edits or current chapters of the current or next manuscript. (To add, this Prep Talk also helps me get out some of my PTSD from my past. The coupling of my ‘publishing fears’ and PTSD, talking it out in an empty room in front of imagined people that I confront, helps me acknowledge that I’m still alive and my passions to be a writer keep me going in a healthy direction)
  8. The Process Starts Again at #1 – Then I go back to the top of this list and I find I’ve done more progress in my writing each and every day or week or months worth of material.

I hope this article helps you or someone you know that is having a hard time with procrastination. Show them these helpful tips in taking control of procrastination to work for them. You’ll be surprised how far you’ve come in your writing.

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