Quiz: Why Aren’t You Writing?

March 8, 2008 by Carolyn Bahm

10 Comments »

1. As I put in my Other answer - all of above (except, thankfully, physical problems) plus having deadlines for work which take priority (because they’re paid) and suck up all my free time…
   Having got my last deadline out of the way last weekend, it’s now currently just laziness and procrastination holding me up - which are /not/ good excuses!

   Sharp Words’s last blog post..Want to write a play or screenplay?

   Comment by Sharp Words (4 comments.) — March 8, 2008 @ 10:29 am

2. Hi, Catherine,
   I’m in touch with that. I’ll bet you can’t *imagine* why it was so easy for me to think of this many reasons not to write. :o)

   I’m actually finally getting back on track after several weeks of lying fallow, though. Just sent 21 new pages to my critique partner so he knows I’m actually still alive. :oP

   Comment by Carolyn Bahm (63 comments.) — March 8, 2008 @ 11:33 am

3. I’m so good at finding other things to do. I think it’s a combination of laziness and lack of focus. I find it’s at its worst when I am approaching a difficult-to-write scene. Most of those sorts of scenes are difficult mainly because they’re not fleshed out in my head yet, so I don’t *know* what to write. Either way, I cruise blogs, drop Entrecards, hang out on the BC discussion boards and do a whole lot of not-writing. Ugh.

   Great blog, btw!
   VG

   Venessa G.’s last blog post..Steps on the Journey: Building Believable Characters

   Comment by Venessa G. (1 comments.) — March 8, 2008 @ 10:41 pm

4. Thanks, Venessa! I know what you mean about all the other things writers & bloggers can find to do.

   In particular, I’m still trying to find a way to manage my time using the Entrecard system — that’s been a big time sink lately. Do you use Powerdropping.com’s list, or the entrecard hacks list in conjunction with the Linky plugin for Firefox to drop cards more quickly? (Ask me if that doesn’t make any sense, ha-ha.) I do but I’m thinking of creating my own list — those lists have some slow-loading links or ones with cards that are below the fold. I’m trying to find a balance between quickly dropping cards to get up to 300 and also clicking & commenting on blogs I genuinely enjoy (like yours).

   Cheers — Carolyn

   Comment by Carolyn Bahm (63 comments.) — March 9, 2008 @ 6:52 am

5. I have my own Entrecard list as a HTML file on my hard drive, with an A list of about 40 for those blogs I like to drop on every day, and a B list for those I drop on when I have time; I also use the Inbox to reciprocate drops. And when I have even more time, I noodle around the different lists (usually for blogs with some connection to my own) to find new things to read.
   You’re right though - Entrecard is a massive time sink. But I’ve found some really interesting things (and been found) through it!

   Sharp Words’s last blog post..Want to write a play or screenplay?

   Comment by Sharp Words (4 comments.) — March 9, 2008 @ 7:35 am

6. I don’t do any fiction writing so I can’t really say this poll applies but if the poll is changed to “What stalls your ______?”, I can definitely say procrastination and laziness are the two top reasons!

   Lis’s last blog post..7 Deadly Blog Sins

   Comment by Lis (1 comments.) — March 9, 2008 @ 11:47 am

7. Hey, Venessa,
   Good advice — I started doing Entrecard that way this week. It works much faster, doesn’t it! I’ve enjoyed Entrecard for the same reasion you mentioned — finding blogs I don’t think I would have stumbled across otherwise and getting some new readers.

   I blogged about my Entrecard process on my other blog (I’ve had a problem with that Entrecard account today, getting me an “invalid” note when I try to drop cards): http://carolynbahm.com/2008/03/09/how-do-you-use-entrecard/

   Comment by Carolyn Bahm (63 comments.) — March 9, 2008 @ 8:30 pm

8. I’m just blabbing…

   For anyone who thinks their writing is crap, well throw enough of it and it will stick and it will stink! People will notice. Eventually people who like smelling crap will smell it, seriously… there are almost definitely people out there who like to smell poop, why neglect them of your writing? At the very worst, you’ll surprise yourself and write something amazing, then you’re guilt will build, and you’ll have to write crap on purpose to ensure no one’s neglected.

   Apparently no one is lazy here… That’s good… I guess everyones too lazy to do that these days, I know I am.

   As far as focusing on writing. My advice that I can and will give until I’m blue in the face probably isn’t the best to give you ways to focus on your writing, except for one thing which is probably really good, figure out why you can’t focus on writing yourself, you’ll probably benefit from it much more that way. One tip that may help though, at the risk of being blue in the face, is if motivation is lost, then perhaps a shift (huge?) in direction in the story is what’s needed! WHERE IN THE HECK DID THAT METEOR COME FROM!?

   Now I’m really sounding like I’m full of myself. Perhaps I was empty though, and this is what fills me?

   Comment by David Rader (2 comments.) — March 11, 2008 @ 2:37 am

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