I am lazy and easily distracted and I really enjoy procrastinating.
Right now I am trying to write a story for my writing class about how Liz, her husband and I went over to a friend’s for dinner recently and found out that he and his boyfriend got married in August and didn’t tell anyone. It was a highly amusing evening. I carry around a small notebook to write down funny things people say, and I filled 11 pages that night. And we weren’t even all bombed.
This story should be easy to write. Once I actual sit down and hammer it out, I know I’ll like it.
And yet I’ve been sitting at my computer for 2 hours and I only have 775 words.
Why? Instead of writing, I’ve been playing on the Internet. Right now I am reading blogs, looking up old Calvin and Hobbes strips, and trying to find a new winter hat on LL Bean.com. Oh, and I’m writing this for my blog, instead of writing my story for writing class.
I’m also looking up knitting patterns. Call me the supreme multitasker.
Why am I so easily distracted? Why do I not want to write? I haven’t had a writing class in 2 weeks, and my teacher wants me to write something long for our last class on Wednesday. Everything I’ve written so far has only been 2 to 3 pages long. It's a great compliment that my teacher wants me to write something longer, and I really want to write something that I can be proud of and that he will enjoy. I just don’t do it. I’m avoiding writing, and I’m not sure why.
Maybe I think I can’t do it. Maybe I just don’t want to try. Maybe I would just rather be sitting on the couch watching Deep Space Nine.
I don’t think that’s true, though. Some days when I get home from work all I want to do is sit on the couch and not move until I go to bed. Tonight I’ve actually gotten a lot done. I did some Christmas shopping on my way home, checked e-mail and started writing this story. I’m not too sleepy, which is amazing considering I got about 4 hours of sleep last night.
I’m putting off writing because writing is hard, and I like things that are easy. Doing stuff that’s hard is more rewarding, I know. This summer I loaded both of my kayaks onto my car without any help, and my larger kayak weighs 63 pounds! I was so freakin proud of myself for that. I know I’ll be proud once I actually write something good.
I just need to discipline myself, and actually sit down and write!
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4 comments:
I think there's a writing topic in this very blog entry. If you care enough about kayaking to heft a 63-lb. craft onto your car, I'll wager you have the depth of knowledge and breadth of experience to call upon to write a very real piece about the sport. You could do it from a straight standpoint -- conquering a high-difficulty watercourse for the first time, the relaxation one might find even in the middle of rapids, the peace of nature. You could also create a humorous intro guide to kayaking in the manner of Dave Barry.
Also: Don't worry about the length if you haven't been assigned a page range. The Gettysburg Address could fit on both sides of a 3x5 and it makes me tear up when I read it. Toward the end of a 10-week writing course I took years ago, I turned in a page-long assignment that, somehow, used a voice I had not yet exhibited in the classwork, and my instructor raved over it. None of my other work, including the long short story I handed in at the end, had the same impact on her. Don't be afraid if your piece becomes smaller after you chip away at it. So do diamonds.
You get bonus points for watching DS9, however -- my favorite Trek show -- but make a bargain with yourself: an hour of the show for an hour of writing. Start with that structure (or any one that helps) and do it regularly enough, and you may find yourself blowing past it.
Speaking of blowing past it, I'll shut up now!
I made a crack about ST: TNG today in one of my French classes. One of the kids had trouble pronouncing the name "Jean-Luc", and I repeated the pronunciation, "like Jean-Luc Picard." Dead silence.
By the way, I think you should expand on this blog entry and submit it to your writing prof. It's one of your best pieces.
I totally thought I had responded to your comments but I must not have done it correctly. Shizo, thank you very much for your comment! I like getting feedback from other writers, especially when I respect and enjoy the other person's writing style.
Lisa, your kids are too young to know who Jean-Luc Picard is. They might know Patrick Stewart from X-Men, though.
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