by Lynn H. Blackburn, @LynnHBlackburn

November is National Novel Writing Month. Thousands of writers all over the world have determined to write 50K words in thirty days. There are pros and cons to NaNoWriMo, but one very definite “pro” is that it demands you cease all forms of procrastination and get ‘er done. I’m not participating this year, but I’ve been thinking about how writers have our own special ways of procrastinating.

You Know You’re a Writer When You Procrastinate by…

• Making a playlist to write to. I’ve heard that some of my favorite authors have playlists they listen to depending on the type of scene they’re writing. Chase scene—maybe something from the Bourne trilogy? Romance—gotta be the Pride and Prejudice score. Big climax—I’d go with something from The Lord of the Rings or Avatar or Harry Potter. Sadly, while this may help get the creative juices flowing, it’s not the same thing as actual writing.
• Researching name origins for your secondary characters. I know you’ve heard how important it is for each of your character names to have some sort of meaning. But when you’re trying to find a name for the waiter who gets all of two paragraphs out of 85K… sorry, that’s not writing.
• Housework/Laundry/Paying Bills. Necessary evils. Not writing.
• Making a playlist for your WIP. Not to be confused with our first point, this is a playlist you share with your readers. And while finding the perfect song to go with your hero or heroine’s mood in each chapter is fun stuff. . . again, not really writing.
• Reading blogs about writing. Do I need to say it? Not writing.
• Pinning characters, locations, clothes, etc. to your WIP board on Pinterest. Delightful. Still…not writing.
• Updating all your social media accounts. Status updates about writing? Not writing. Neither are tweets that include #amwriting, #amediting, #writing, or #allIdoiswrite.
• Reading books in or out of your genre. Call it market analysis. Call it research. Call it professional development. Can’t call it writing.
• Organizing your writing space. I find clutter distracting so it’s worth it to me to take five minutes to tidy up whatever is in my line of sight before I sit down. But when that leads to dusting under the piano? Yeah, not writing.
• Blogging. This one is tricky, because it is writing. However, if you haven’t made a dent in your word count for the week, then we have to call it what it is. Stalling. Not writing.

I may or may not be guilty of all ten of these. How about you? What’s your favorite form of writerly procrastination?

Tell us fast, then get back to writing!

Grace & peace,

Lynn

Lynn H. Blackburn believes in the power of stories, especially those that remind us that true love exists, a gift from the Truest Love. She’s passionate about CrossFit, coffee, and chocolate (don’t make her choose) and experimenting with recipes that feed both body and soul. She lives in South Carolina with her true love, Brian, and their three children. Her first book, Covert Justice, won the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery and Suspense and the 2016 Carol Award for Short Novel. Her second book, Hidden Legacy, released in June 2017 and her new Dive Team Investigations series kicks off in March of 2018 with Beneath the Surface. You can follow her real life happily ever after at www.LynnHBlackburn.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.