Writers Chat, hosted by Johnnie Alexander, Brandy Brow, and Melissa Stroh, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!
“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”
Writer Procrastination with Brandy Brow
Co-host and author Brandy Brow leads the Writers Chat community in a discussion on procrastinating, which she defines as “intentional avoidance.” We talk about the reasons we as writers procrastinate even when a deadline is looming and share tips on ways to prevent procrastination from becoming a problem. In a bit of a “plot twist,” however, we also talk about the positive results that can come from recognizing and even accepting our procrastination tendencies.
Watch the September 10th replay.
Brandy Brow, Writers Chat co-host who freelance edits and writes flash fiction and short stories for the general market, plus articles and devotions. Her fiction explores the highs and lows of human nature and ranges from normal to strange. She loves to help writers improve their craft.
Disclaimer: The opinions and viewpoints presented by the cohosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of Writers Chat or Serious Writer, Inc.
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133
Procrastination squeezes its fingers around my neck, choking me. I feel panic rising like bile in the back of my throat.
Have you heard this one? You know you’re a writer on deadline when you decide to clean the house rather than sit at your desk.
I can make jokes and fictionalize about my tendency to procrastinate, yet the question remains. Why did I wait until the last minute to work on my project?
I like to think I work best under pressure, but do I really put out my best when I feel pressured? It’s not a new thing—this delayed response has been a lifetime in the making. Maybe I could blame it on a personality bent or a childhood trait carried over into midlife crisis. Maybe I could transfer guilt to a faulty belief system that thinks it will go away if I ignore it.
At some point, sooner than later, I need to take responsibility for my delay tactics and buckle down to write.
A man named Jonah tried to avoid the inevitable and ended up in deep water. (Jonah 1:10,15)
Saul hid from responsibility and was left holding the bags. (1 Samuel 10:22)
Am I so different that I think my consequences won’t be as dire? Isaiah 14:27 says I can’t thwart, or oppose, God’s plan. It’s time to talk about it!
Exercise:
What is the difference between procrastination and self-sabotage? Use your dictionary to support your answer.
What limiting beliefs keep you from persevering with your writing? For instance, “I’ll never be good enough,” or, “Nobody reads what I write.”
Is procrastination a case of “I can’t” or “I won’t”? If “I can’t,” then why not? What tools can help you get to the next level?
What steps can you take to turn “I won’t” into “I want to”? Will you ask the Lord for help? Philippians 2:13.
Is a fear of failure keeping you from using your God-given gifts? Or, does a fear of success and its thirst for more leave your knees shaking?
What helps you pursue that which you would rather put off? Does an accountability partner keep you on target with deadlines?
Write out Philippians 4:13 and ask God to give you strength for the task.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 NIV
What holds you back from your best self?
Over 140 of Sally Ferguson’s devotionals have been published in Pathways to God (Warner Press). She’s also written for Light From The Word, Chautauqua Mirror, Just Between Us, Adult Span Curriculum,Thriving Family, Upgrade with Dawn and ezinearticles.com. Prose Contest Winner at 2017 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference.
Sally loves organizing retreats and seeing relationships blossom in time away from the daily routine. Her ebook, How to Plan a Women’s Retreat is available on Amazon.
Sally Ferguson lives in the beautiful countryside of Jamestown, NY with her husband and her dad.
“A writer will do anything to avoid the act of writing.”
William Zinsser
Every writer or published author has dabbled or delayed in their quest to finish a writing project. This truth may comfort you. It happens to all creatives at one time or another: the flow is interrupted and the words disappear.
The malady has a name: procrastination. Synonyms include deferring action, stalling, hesitating, and my personal favorite—dithering. It’s not a character assessment – you’re not a weak person if you’ve dabbled with delay. But you may have developed a bad habit, one that may prevent (or at least postpone) achievement of your writing goals.
You’re not alone. Statistics reveal that 95% of the population procrastinates at times, with 26% of the population identified as chronic procrastinators.[1] The trend today continues to rise.
The cost of procrastination as a writer is significant:
Missed deadlines
Missed opportunities (often related to previous missed deadlines)
Stress and pressure to get something on the page when you are not “in the flow”
Damage to your reputation and reliability when work is late or poorly completed because you put if off until the last minute
Is it possible to change the behavior?
It is.
Dr. Tim Pychyl, author of Solving the Procrastination Puzzle, has done a tremendous job of research on the topic. He identified a set of triggers that make a task seem more averse – also defined as daunting, overwhelming, or unpleasant.[2] And when tasks create that sense of dread or overwhelm it’s easy to see why we put them off. Perfection and procrastination are partners in crime.
So let’s experiment with a quick exercise. Bring to mind something you’re currently struggling with in your writing. You’ll probably find the task that comes to mind includes some, if not all, of the characteristics that Pychyl discovered that make a task procrastination worthy.
Here are his top five examples and how they sound:[3]
Fear of the Unknown – “I don’t know how to get started.”
The Task is Difficult – “I can’t do this. It’s too hard.”
The Task is Boring – “I thought writing was a creative process. It’s not fun!!”
The Task is Ambiguous – “I’m totally confused – every expert says something different.”
Task is Unstructured / Feels Overwhelming – “Who am I kidding? I’m not a writer.”
Why is how it sounds important? It’s vital – these assessments are what we’re telling ourselves about ourselves. And it’s damaging self-talk that can convince us to quit. If you believe you are called to write, this can be devastating.
These five procrastination traps are common, but not necessarily the most common, especially among creatives – including writers. The most common trap among this group is often believed to be perfectionism!
How do we address it? What can we do when it strikes?
Maybe you had a mom like mine who taught me “anything worth doing is worth doing well.” And while that has served me often, it’s also caused me to be hyper-hard on myself if it’s not perfect in the moment. Perfectionism lobbies for it all to be perfect now – and limits the definition of success to an unrealistic standard.
“Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without the other.”
William Zinsser
How does your awareness of “clear thinking” equip you to write when perfection isn’t present on the page? Acknowledge you’re stuck, distracted, or discouraged. Recognize when procrastination badgers you to do it tomorrow, go shopping, or clean out your closet. Think clearly and redirect your efforts to more manageable or appealing activities that still support your writing!
Stop staring at the blank screen. Don’t rewrite that opening paragraph ten times and trash it. Turn your attention to other tasks:
Research material for your book or article.
Work on the proposal: research comps, select a format.
Read a chapter in Writing Well by William Zinsser that will fill a knowledge gap.
Edit work completed previously.
Listen to a podcast on writing that will advance your knowledge.
Brainstorm with a writing buddy. Don’t have one? Find one!
OR . . . WRITE—and disconnect from the procrastinator’s prayer: “Please God, make it perfect right now!”
Is that last one possible? Successful writers know perfection is not always or easily attainable. Have you ever finished a late-night writing session, hit SAVE with great satisfaction, assured the writing is brilliant? Then wake to discover it’s not brilliant. It’s not even passable. That’s why there are second draft, critique groups, and amazing bolts of lightning when you are engaged with some other activity.
Redeem the day—invest in dumping perfectionistic thinking in your writing. Pump your productivity with other writing related tasks. Then return when you can think and write clearly. And never forget: one can’t exist without the other!
Deborah DeArmond is a recognized leader in the fields of performance development, facilitation. She is a certified writing coach as well as an executive business coach. She is also an award-winning author.
Deb’s the author of Related by Chance, Family by Choice, I Choose You Today, and Don’t Go to Bed Angry. Stay Up and Fight! All three books focus on relationship dynamics, communication, and conflict resolution. Her humorous devotional entitled Bumper Sticker Be-Attitudes was published in late 2019. Her newest release, We May Be Done But We’re Not Finished: Making the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life was released in July. She has published more than 200 articles in print and online, including a monthly column, now in her 7th year for Lifeway Magazine with an international circulation of 300,000.
Deb helps clients achieve success in becoming the coach others desire to work through through her engaging inquiry, humor, and straightforward approach. Her clients have described Deb as “candid but kind” and skilled at asking the questions that help “guide others to discover their answers and solutions to success.”
“The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain numberof words on a regular basis.”
William Zinsser
I explored the idea of writing for several months before I realized it was not my idea. The Lord tapped on my heart, and I knew I was to write. As I became serious about moving forward, I engaged a writing coach. She was highly experienced and respected in the industry. She informed me early on there was much to learn but expressed her confidence I could be successful. “Please know, Deb, writing is a discipline. There are no shortcuts to writing well.”
During our first session she explored my goals and discussed the challenges that might derail me. It was not a long list, but the single item was demanding. I owned a business that required a significant amount of travel. She asked if this was the right time to begin and if I would make the sacrifice writing would require. I nodded. “Where do we begin?”
We discussed a project I had in mind, and she agreed it was a good starting point. At the end of that first session, she asked me to track the weeks’ writing sessions, down to the minute. “What day of the week, what time did you start, and what time did you end the session?” She called them BIC hours. I thought it was a writerly term, one I had not yet encountered. I refrained from asking for the definition. No need to remind her I was greener than grass. I was certain she’d realize it soon enough.
I faithfully kept the BIC Log and sent it to her each week prior to our session. She used it to assess where in my week I was most productive. There was definitely a pattern. This helped tremendously and I was able to establish a consistent schedule and routine. That BIC Log became my planner of sorts. I treated it as though it had been heaven sent; I didn’t question the process. I leveraged those productive times, blocked them on the calendar, and honored my commitment to show up at the keyboard when it was time to write. I sensed a pattern and rhythm that worked. On good days and bad, I wrote. I established words written as my goal marker rather than time in the chair.
My coach served as a wealth of information about everything related to writing. But it was the BIC Log that most impacted what I did and when I did it.
BIC, I learned several months later, was her abbreviated version for “butt in chair.”
“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” There are many variations on this quote, but The New York Times attributed it in August 1977 to Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman, co-writers of the Oscar winning screenplay for the movie Annie Hall.
Showing up. Butts in chairs, my friend is what the craft requires. Every line that never gets written is guaranteed to never be published.
The days your fingers fly over the keys, and you can barely contain the rush of words, are victories. It feels effortless and you emerge feeling victorious Those days happen. They just don’t happen often enough. Relish them. It’s the contrast to the days you decide to clean out the fridge or rearrange the pantry instead of facing the keyboards that are treacherous. Definitely not BIC days.
Why does this happen?
Two major challenges become hiccups along the way: procrastination and distraction. When we feel uninspired, we avoid the keyboards. Procrastinators are often labeled as lazy. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s not a lack of interest or commitment. In fact, science suggests most procrastinators are perfectionists. The lack of inspiration or confidence is the factor that pushes us to avoid writing in those times.
“If I am not clear about the next steps in my story, I can’t move forward.” Or “I can’t locate the research I need to proceed.” And for many, the only solution is to avoid sitting in that chair altogether.
What to do?
Here are a few tips to help you settle into that seat and forge ahead—regardless of your emotion in the moment.
Bring to mind something related to your writing you’re putting off right now — you’ll probably find the task has many, if not all, of the characteristics that identifies it as procrastination-worthy. Here are four top examples.
Imposter Syndrome: “I’ve told everyone I’m writing a book. What was I thinking?”
The task is boring: “I thought writing a book would be fun. This is a lot of research!”
The task is difficult: “I have request for a proposal, but it’s complex. I can’t do this.”
The task is ambiguous or unstructured: (Vague, confusing, unclear). “I don’t even know where to start!”
What’s the impact of these statements and why it is important? Because it’s what we’re telling ourselves, about ourselves. And it’s all dangerous self-talk that tries to convince us to quit. To clean out the pantry and rearrange the potted patio plants instead of pushing through.
Today you can increase the odds of achieving your writing goals, whatever they might be. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Put your sitter down in that chair and write!
Deborah DeArmond is a recognized leader in the fields of performance development, facilitation. She is a certified writing coach as well as an executive business coach. She is also an award-winning author.
Deb’s the author of Related by Chance, Family by Choice, I Choose You Today, and Don’t Go to Bed Angry. Stay Up and Fight! All three books focus on relationship dynamics, communication, and conflict resolution. Her humorous devotional entitled Bumper Sticker Be-Attitudes was published in late 2019. Her newest release, We May Be Done But We’re Not Finished: Making the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life will be available in late July. She has published more than 200 articles in print and online, including a monthly column, now in her 7th year for Lifeway Magazine with an international circulation of 300,000.
Deb helps clients achieve success in becoming the coach others desire to work through through her engaging inquiry, humor, and straightforward approach. Her clients have described Deb as “candid but kind” and skilled at asking the questions that help “guide others to discover their answers and solutions to success.”
William Zinsser was a writer, editor, and teacher whose book, On Writing Well sold more than 1.5 million copies over three decades by employing his own literary craftsmanship to urge clarity, simplicity, brevity, and humanity. Monthly we’ll tap into his insights and perhaps you too, will find life-changing messages in the wit and wisdom of William Zinsser.
Years ago, I heard someone say, “Start by doing what you already know to do instead of worrying about everything you don’t know about the Bible.” Most of us know we should love others and love God, and if we started doing those two things, we’d be a long way towards being a good disciple of Jesus.
Procrastination or Preparation?
This principle can also be applied to writing. I love learning, and I’m so thankful for all of the trainings, blogs, podcasts and videos about the writing process. How to get published, how to build platform, how to develop characters—videos and trainings abound on the internet. But I came to the point a few months ago where I needed to just stop. I had filled stacks of notebooks with great ideas about writing, but I wasn’t writing or building platform or doing much of anything besides studying about how to do it all.
Use What You Already Have
As a family, we spent several years living in Mozambique, Africa. The Mozambicans were great about using what they already had—even what we would consider garbage—to make necessities as well as art or recreational equipment.
For example, with the help of his Mozambican friend, my 12-year-old son Kirk unraveled a length of nylon rope into many short strands. The two of them spent hours tying them together end to end for a kite string. Then they used a plastic grocery bag over two sticks tied together in a cross shape for the kite and scraps of rope for the tail. Believe it or not—it flew sky high. As we drove around during the windy season, we dodged dozens of kids flying plastic bag kites.
When we visited the city, we sometimes went to the open-air market to see the arts and crafts. We marveled at carvings and paintings and handmade sculptures, and again, they used whatever could be found. Some artists created tiny bicycles out of bits of wire they collected. The ingenuity of the Mozambicans struck me as wonderful.
Loaves and Fishes
This reminds me of the story of the five loaves and two fishes in Matthew 14:13-21. The people were hungry, and the disciples only found five loaves and two fishes. Jesus instructed them to work with the supplies they found on hand. Then Jesus gave thanks, broke the loaves and passed out the bread. In the end, everyone ate and was satisfied. They even had leftovers.I wonder if we could follow this pattern as we think about writing. We need to make the most of what we have. Perhaps we can offer our writing time to God, give thanks and trust him to provide.
Focus on the Important
With our faith and with our writing, it’s great to learn, but putting it into practice is the important part. Even with platform building, I kept learning what to do and how, but I finally had to grit my teeth and make those videos, instead of taking another course on how-to. I’m not suggesting we should stop learning—never! And I’m not throwing away my stacks of notebooks. I’m challenging you, writers, to take out the notes, and write the characters according to what you’ve learned or make the video before you do one more training. Use what you already have. Act upon what you already know.
Jesus Offers Living Water
Jesus gave this invitation: “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive” (John 7:37-39a, NIV).
We can ask the author of life for living water, and He will give us inspiration for our writing. Ask yourself this question: Am I procrastinating by watching another training video, or am I going to put the information into practice immediately?
Jump In
Sometimes, jumping in is the only thing to do. Stephen King says it this way: “Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.”
In 1996, Susan E. Brooks moved to Mozambique, Africa, with her family where she taught art and English at an international high school and started journaling about her adventures. Her stories of struggles and victories in Mozambique are now published on her blog in a series entitled “Mozambican Odyssey.” She has since lived in Portugal, Ghana, and Cyprus, as well as in her home state of Kentucky, USA.
Meanwhile, nine grandchildren have come along, and she is inspired to write and illustrate a children’s book for each of them. Susan has self-published four children’s books and she writes a regular column for patheos.com.
Do you procrastinate when
it comes to creating a book proposal? You aren’t alone and it is common among
writers. I’ve written a number of proposals and know the hard work which goes
into each one. Two of my proposals received traditional publishing contracts
with six-figure advances. The potential rewards from creating a book
proposal are great—provided you finish it and locate the right editor or
literary agent.
Many writers dream of writing a book. They have partial proposals and sample chapters but have never completed the proposal—much less shown it to an editor or agent. If you are one of these writers, I suggest you use social pressure to complete your book proposal. If you have 300 Facebook friends and write, “This year (or this month or this week), I’m going to finish my book proposal.” You’ve not given many specifics but you have been public about your goal. This social pressure will motivate you to take the next step—finish the proposal. Some of your friends will even call or email you and ask about your progress.
Break the task into small pieces and create a list of steps, as you write each one, then cross them off. Create an achievable goal such as 500 words a day (two pages). Your consistent effort to get the proposal written and in top form will pay off. Keep moving forward on the project and bit by bit it will get finished.
Years ago I interviewed bestselling novelist Bodie Thoene who has won multiple ECPA Gold Medallion Awards in the Christian fiction category. Bodie sits at her computer hitting the keys with two fingers. She may work until 10 p.m. to reach her goal–at least five finished pages. “No little elves come out of my closet to write 650 manuscript pages,” Bodie says. “Some mornings I don’t feel like writing, but I do it out of obedience to God.”
“The opening scenes are always the
hardest and can take as long as 10 or 20 pages,” Bodie explains. With the
opening pages behind her, the writing accelerates until she often completes 20
or more pages a day. While you and I may not be able to write as many pages a
day, we can write 500 words or two pages a day. If you do this day after day
(consistency again), then you will get it done.
Also
tell your writing goal to an accountability partner of a friend or your spouse.
If you miss a day or two or even a week, don’t beat yourself up. Instead return
to writing and keep making progress. This year can be your year when you
complete your book proposal and your
book. With consistent and steady action, you can do it.
Somewhere between Christmas pageant rehearsal, decorating the tree, shopping, and making travel preparations, a still, small voice whispers. The conversation goes something like this:
My Conscience: What about your story? You remember, the one you were over-the-moon excited to write? The story with the characters you loved that you have not touched in a week?
Me: *sigh* I remember.
MC:When are you going to write? You are so close to finishing.
Me: *breaking out in a cold sweat* Not now, conscience. This is not the time.
MC:I know, I know. So…you will write it later, then?
Me: Yes, later. Absolutely. I will finish you later. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed right now.
MC: I get it. Thanks. I’ll look forward to later, then. If it is not too much to ask, I have one quick follow-up question.
Me: Sure.
MC:When, exactly, is later?
The holidays may be a little slow for publishers but for writers, especially those of us young in our journey, they can be a joyous but trying time. We want to use this time for planning, querying, networking, and (of course) writing – but there are about a gazillion competing activities (Christmas party, anyone?) and none of them want to leave room for the other.
So let’s give ourselves the gift of leaving room. Let’s give ourselves the grace we would give a friend. Along with that grace, let us honor the work we’ve already done by planning the work yet to come. The conversation with our conscience could look like this:
Me: Let’s compromise. I’ll take a few minutes now and make a to-do list, jot down your ideas, and let’s let them soak for a bit. After family has gone home, and I get a little rest, we will get back on our regular writing schedule.
MC: Let the ideas ‘soak?’ Like a Christmas turkey brine type of soak, or a hot buttered dinner roll sort of soak?
Me: Take your pick. I’ll see you bright and early January 2.
As you can probably guess, I am eager to get back to my normal writing routine, but I’m also excited about the celebration and rejuvenation that the Christmas season brings. My goal is to use this time to live life well and fully, so I can bring my most creative self back to the keyboard in the new year.
My intention for 2019 is to give myself the gift of a schedule, with set times for quiet, writing, work and play. What does your new year writing intention look like?
Kell McKinney earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and an M.S. in documentary studies from the University of North Texas. She’s a part-time copywriter, double-time mom and wife, and spends every free minute writing and/or hunting for her car keys. Connect with her on Twitter @Kell_McK or kellmckinney.com.
We’ve submitted that article, devotion, or book proposal, and the feelings of euphoria have begun to fade. Questions ping through our minds like rogue fireworks. When will I hear something? Will they like it? How will my submission stand out against so many? What do I do now?
The next steps are critical to our writing health. Will we flounder, unsure of the next project to tackle, or will we soar on a wave of momentum?
Here are 3 steps to help with perspective and focus after a submission:
Pray, leaving your work in God’s hands. Thank Him for the opportunity to write and submit your work. Praise Him for the gift of words and for being the Source of all creativity. Ask Him for strength and wisdom to be patient in waiting and to trust His purposes.
Rest and restore both mind and body. Whether a few minutes, hours, or days, take a break from work. Take a walk, read, or enjoy another creative or artistic activity. Make a short-list of future writing projects and pray over them, seeking God’s heart. (For a fresh perspective, try to do this away from your normal work location.)
Get busy! Resist procrastination. Eagerly delve into the next project. Remember—you have accomplished something most writers haven’t—you have completed and submitted your work. Use this momentum as fuel for your next ideas. Ensure that what you’ve learned in this writing journey translates to the new work.
Pray, rest, and get busy. Are we ready?
Fire the laptop. Prime the pen. Let’s get to work!
