If you read my bio on WordPress, you’d know that I tend to take on more than I have the time or the energy to accomplish. This has been the case for me in the past couple of weeks, and I believe it’s going to continue for the foreseeable future.
Since I finished writing the first draft of my novel, I wanted to take a short break before I could start writing another novel or editing the first one. However, as some of you may know, April is a month plucked with writing competitions.
Writing for competitions is not something I’m used to, so I took on this new opportunity, regardless of the fact that I have a graduation project to finish – the only thing standing between me and my BA. Of course, I’m not planning to enter all competitions, nor am I planning to write for the tens whose themes I liked (anymore). I have selected a few, however, which I thought I should give a shot.
As the competitions’ deadlines loom, I find myself focusing more on writing for the contests than for my project. I would do anything than write for my graduation project, actually. One time, I slept for three hours in the afternoon, waking up every half-hour but the dreadful thought of having to work on the project putting me back to sleep.
To tell you the truth, I have finished writing for the upcoming contests (except one), but I’m putting off editing them just to avoid working on my project. Today alone, I checked my Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, Instagram and Klout accounts over a dozen times each, not to mention distracting myself with other mundane things, all the while only editing one out of 12 pages of a piece of writing due in 5 days!
I think it’s safe to say the writers are the best procrastinators. For me this is obviously the case. I loiter with my writing but only when I have other things to do. I’ll stick with the conclusion that I subconsciously want to fail in other things so that writing is the only thing left for me to do, or maybe it’s just all in my head.
Do you face this problem too?
Words of Margaux 
Tell me about it, mec! I’ve a final next week for my BA and it’s my last course standing from walking the stage. All, I did today was avoiding studying as to a minimal level and did the most random things such as blogging, getting a 2 hours long work out, driving in downtown, praying with homeless people on the street (well they prayed for me after I bought them food)..ok enough of my screaming. Good luck!
Uh oh. Sorry to hear you’re having trouble with your project! I unfortunately suffer this horrible affliction as well, so I do have some idea of how you’re feeling! 😉
I have found the way to avoid procrastinating is simply refuse to do so. I set an achievable daily goal. It worked for me once, and I’m striving to maintain it again. Like a job. A minimum of 2-3 decent pages each day is a novel in 100-150 “writing days.” Good luck! And congrats on the (almost) BA! 🙂
Thank you! It works for me too. Sometimes, though, things get in my way. Thinking of it as a job is one of the best motivators for me.
Great post, and I agree completely, though I am better now than I used to be. Forcing myself to get into a routine of doing but nothing but writing at a certain time really did help 😀
I, too, am plagued by this… I call it “dysplaced energy.” When I have a deadline, the fish tank is never so clean…
I get the most work done on my writing when I’m trying to avoid doing actual work. In that sense, a day job is the best motivator a writer can have 😀
Yes, yes I do. I’m a horrible procrastinator. Hope you managed to find some time to work on your final project though (or made time).