Procrastination Gets in the Way...
And now I have irrefutable evidence of that fact. The other day I had no internet connection, and I banged out 12 pages. Yesterday, internet connection was restored, and I only wrote three pages. It would seem I was too busy blog-hopping, answering e-mail, and researching web hosts to work.
But the truth is, I was a little stuck. I knew where I wanted to go after the previous scene, knew what needed to happen, but I couldn't figure out how to start it off. So of course, being the procrastinator extraordinaire that I am, I figured I might find inspiration in other stuff.
No dice. Found a lot of humor and smiles (and even a drool-worthy man or two), but no motivation.
So I thought I'd try some music. Steve Perry had been helping me with this WIP in the past . . . I figured I'd give him another shot. After the family went to bed, I popped the headphones on, loaded his "Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased" CD into the laptop, and prepared for inspiration to flood like a river undammed.
Still nothing. Although I did get some singing in, not to mention a little dancing. Yup, I was the idiot dancing around my living room while wearing headphones. Thank goodness nobody was up to see or hear me.
What was doubly odd about that is under normal circumstances, if I'm wearing the headphones I'm not inclined to sing. Not last night. Maybe I've been spending too much time at my husband's recording studio, watching vocalists laying tracks while wearing headphones. *shrug*
Like I said in the beginning of yet another longwinded post, I did finally manage to eke out three pages. Figured out how to start the next scene, and got a portion of it written. But I was so bleary-eyed by that time it was pointless to try to continue. I did manage to leave myself a more friendly starting point for today.
Fingers crossed I make better progress this afternoon.
-----
MOOD: Busy busy busy. Got lots of errands to run
MUSIC: "Mickey's Monkey" by Mother's Finest
PROGRESS: 3 pages last night. Hoping for more today.
But the truth is, I was a little stuck. I knew where I wanted to go after the previous scene, knew what needed to happen, but I couldn't figure out how to start it off. So of course, being the procrastinator extraordinaire that I am, I figured I might find inspiration in other stuff.
No dice. Found a lot of humor and smiles (and even a drool-worthy man or two), but no motivation.
So I thought I'd try some music. Steve Perry had been helping me with this WIP in the past . . . I figured I'd give him another shot. After the family went to bed, I popped the headphones on, loaded his "Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased" CD into the laptop, and prepared for inspiration to flood like a river undammed.
Still nothing. Although I did get some singing in, not to mention a little dancing. Yup, I was the idiot dancing around my living room while wearing headphones. Thank goodness nobody was up to see or hear me.
What was doubly odd about that is under normal circumstances, if I'm wearing the headphones I'm not inclined to sing. Not last night. Maybe I've been spending too much time at my husband's recording studio, watching vocalists laying tracks while wearing headphones. *shrug*
Like I said in the beginning of yet another longwinded post, I did finally manage to eke out three pages. Figured out how to start the next scene, and got a portion of it written. But I was so bleary-eyed by that time it was pointless to try to continue. I did manage to leave myself a more friendly starting point for today.
Fingers crossed I make better progress this afternoon.
-----
MOOD: Busy busy busy. Got lots of errands to run
MUSIC: "Mickey's Monkey" by Mother's Finest
PROGRESS: 3 pages last night. Hoping for more today.
posted by Lynn at
10:00 AM
7 Comments:
Yeah, the Internet can be distracting. Especially when you run across the "drool-worthy" specimens that are out there.
Funny, you usually say that Steve Perry helps you to write. I guess you had performing in your soul last night, eh? Sorry I missed your performance. I'll bet it was great!
Does your husband record his own music or is he an Engineer at the studio?
By
Yankeebob, at 12:19 PM
Aw... sorry to hear your Muse got distracted again. Yep, there are so many distracting things like the web. That's why I didn't buy a laptop. I bought a folding keyboard for my iPaq so I can write undisturbed. At least you got to do 3 pages. That's pretty good!
By
Silma, at 12:45 PM
Aw... sorry to hear your Muse got distracted again. Yep, there are so many distracting things like the web. That's why I didn't buy a laptop. I bought a folding keyboard for my iPaq so I can write undisturbed. At least you got to do 3 pages. That's pretty good!
By
Silma, at 12:45 PM
BOB - Distracting seems like too tame a word, especially when there's drooling involved.
Performance in my soul, huh? And for once, it was actually sans alcohol. Imagine that! *g* Believe me, you wouldn't have wanted to see this performance. Hard to look or sound good when the headphones covering your ears have you tethered to a laptop.
My husband isn't a musician--he's a behind the scenes dude. He and a couple other guys put the studio together in conjunction with their PA consulting business, and he's been doing the final mixdowns and mastering. Personally, I'm intimidated by the huge mixing console with all the faders and knobs (not to mention all the amps and effects racks), but I love watching the process.
By
Lynn, at 1:20 PM
SILMA - Truth be told, I was probably distracted *by* the muse--one of the guys you sent over. Not that I'm complaining. *wink*
Within the next few months, I'll probably bite the bullet and order an Alphie Neo. I've been lusting after them since they were first introduced, and it'll help with distraction-free writing.
By
Lynn, at 1:22 PM
Lynn, if you're buying an AlphaSmart, try their Dana model, but not their wireless or you'll get distracted. The Dana has a wider screen than the Neo. BTW, a PDA works the same way as an AlphaSmart. My HP iPaq has for SD and CF cards. The folding keyboard allows me to use MS Word and write whatever I want whenever I want. *vbg* I carry both in my small backpack, no problem. Even smaller both than an AlphaSmart.
By
Silma, at 3:12 PM
Silma - I looked at the Dana, but for the money, the Neo is my better bet. And now that my husband is bugging me aboutt he writing, it'll be easier for me to justify buying it. *g*
I saw where you blogged about your new toys coming in. How are they working for you?
By
Lynn, at 9:21 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home