Let’s face it, when writing becomes difficult (and it happens more often than most writers want to admit), you’d rather do anything but write. We’ll I’m here to help.
Through some grueling research and finely tuned avoidance techniques, I’ve created a list of 10 things you can do to avoid writing.
#1 Bake – Bake cookies, bake muffins, and even bread if you’re particularly motivated. Baking is creative, right? You can use it as contemplative time – time to contemplate what you would be writing if you were motivated to actually write.
#2 Clean – Yep, it’s amazing how many dirty areas there are in your home. Certainly they’re much more important than your creative pursuits and that novel you’ve been trying to finish.
#3 Read about Writing – How many books on writing do you own? I have shelves full of them and I’ve given away dozens. Instead of writing and practicing what you already know, why not read about how to be a better writer?
#4 Research – Hey, research is an important part of every novel. So why not spend your time researching. You can even watch television and call it research. I mean, the Bachelorette is research right? It’s about romance, sort of. And Ghost Hunters is excellent research if you’re writing a spooky story.
#5 Talk about writing – Meet with fellow writing friends or call them on the phone and talk about how great, or terrible, it is to be a writer.
#6 Blog – You need to keep your writer’s blog updated right? Especially since you probably haven’t blogged in a month. Who has the time?
#7 Redecorate your home – It’s astounding how disgruntled I become with my home’s decor when I’m struggling with a scene. Pull out those decorating books, browse Houzz.com where you can spend hours planning your home, and dream those big dreams.
#8 Network – Hey, it’s been at least twenty minutes since you’ve checked your Facebook account. You probably missed something.
#9 Check your email too – You may have missed an email from an agent or better yet a movie producer who heard about your book idea and is just dying to represent you.
#10 Buy a lottery ticket – If you can quite your day job you’d have more time to write.
There are so many more to add to this list. I’ll keep doing the difficult research on my end so I can share with you the many ways you can continue to avoid writing.
Or…if you’re inclined to actually sit down and work on your book, check out the following free and nearly free resources:
Character Development Worksheet
or
How to Turn Your Romance Story Idea into a Novel workbook
or if you’re stumped for a story idea check out the .99 Story Starter Reports – 101 story starters for your your chosen genre.
