Sigh. I have been putting some ideas together for November, but none of them “feel” right. If you are wondering what that word is up top, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. I actually have several ideas, and one that I was working on, but it doesn’t feel like it wants to be written yet. One idea for a children’s book came out of the blue, so it might be the next thing I develop. A painful yet ignored idea for a story came through as well one day, and I started a poem of sorts just so I could get it written down. To be honest, I have some ideas almost everyday; however, if they don’t feel like they are right, I ignore them. That part could be the procrastination setting in, but it really doesn’t feel like the right time to tell that story…yet.
Why I procrastinate:
- I feel overwhelmed by the task at hand. I have an awesome idea in my head, but it requires massive amounts of research, so I push it to the back of the line.
- Apparently perfectionists are known to do this because they think if they don’t have the skills or resources to do it perfectly, they will just wait. I didn’t think that was me, but now I do.
- I believe the muse needs to speak to me. Ha.
- I am afraid of making the wrong choice, and getting that rejection letter in the mail.
What can I do to change the above:
- Make my own goals. Find one place to send a query letter to a week.
- Keep a to-do list. I did that. Ermmm, and was doing a good job with it, and then decided it was annoying me. Just sitting there, waiting to be crossed off.
- Schedule things…well, if it doesn’t strike me as urgent, and that means I really don’t have a deadline, it goes to the back of my imaginary project line.
- I need to break the project up into smaller tasks…get one clean copy ready to go.
- Reward myself with a nap when done. Seriously. I need one just thinking about getting half of this done.
The Burned Hand 