Productive Procrastination

I thought this topic would be fitting for two reasons. Firstly, last night I found myself almost incapable of starting the next chapter of my novel. Secondly, I had no idea what this blog post would be about until I sat down to start writing it. My pantsing tendencies are starting to bleed into other areas of life. Today I am here to make a pretty controversial claim. Procrastination is good.

Perhaps I should elaborate before I am pelted with rotten fruit and bricks for my blasphemy. Procrastination CAN be good*

*Void where prohibited, certain restrictions may apply

As writers, or creative people in general, there will be times when we just can’t bring ourselves to write. We’re all human (I’m assuming), life happens. Sometimes we’re feeling burned out, sick or just not feeling the whole writing thing that day. Maybe your muse is on a union break. Just the other night I was recovering from a really long day and did not have the mental reserves to piece together a particularly complicated scene. So I put it away. Then I heard that intrusive voice saying “You’re wasting time, you should be doing something productive.” Since then I have been thinking about ways to fill that writing time with non writing things (and shut that little jerk up).

Reading! Words are important, books are full of them! (And now you know why I’m not in sales). But as a writer, reading is absolutely essential. Just like your body can’t survive eating the same food every day, your mind needs some variety to be at its best. For all the time you spend creating your own world of words, you should also spend some time exploring other worlds. Of words. Unless you can literally travel to other worlds, in which case you should totally do that. It doesn’t matter if it’s related to your writing. If your mind is stimulated, it’s time well spent.

Beta reading. This is something I recently picked up doing. It started as an exchange with another author, but I quickly realized how much more I was getting out of it. It’s like a hybrid between writing and reading. You’re following a story, but you also have a chance to offer creative input (see my previous post on beta reading for my full length ramblings). It’s also a great way to network with other writer types and get some social support, which is a big deal coming from a hermit like myself.

Now we come to what I did instead of writing. You can always outline, daydream or spitball stuff that probably won’t survive the first draft of your work. For example, I’m going into a scene that is the start of a big revelation for my MC. It’s too much info to be dumped on the reader at once, so I started making a list of all the facts that will eventually be revealed or added together. Just by listing ideas I already had I was able to start connecting a few dots and adding new details. You can even start a separate word document so it doesn’t feel like it’s supposed to fit with the rest of your work. I went back to writing the next evening and those notes made the scene feel doable instead of this amorphous blob of ideas.

This is what it looked like before my notes.

My last suggestion is to try working on something else. If you have an old unfinished piece somewhere or an idea that hasn’t yet set foot on the page, give it your attention for a little while. It’s a nice way to keep flexing the writing muscles. I’ve done this a few times when I really needed to write, but editing was up next on the to do list. Look for a writing prompt, indulge in a fan fic or whatever tickles your fancy. Even if it’s not the story you were planning, you’re still writing.

So these are all things in my mind that are good ways to spend some time that was earmarked for writing. As long as you’re doing something that benefits you as a writer, I think it is time well spent even if it wasn’t how you planned it. See, my inner pantser is showing again. This list isn’t comprehensive obviously. Feel free to do whatever helps you. For me it’s about silencing that nagging little voice and proving to myself that I don’t have to be productive every single moment to meet my goals. I’ve had my share of off days and surprises, but I haven’t missed a deadline yet. So take that, nagging little voice! And on that note, I rest my case in defense of procrastination; a case that called the gelatinous cube to the stand for testimony. I would make the best lawyer ever.

It’s Dangerous to go Alone…so don’t

The more I look back at where I was when I started writing my work in progress, the more I think “wow, how did he last this long?” But seriously, I’ve learned so much in just five months of being signed. Trying to relay all of it is far beyond the scope of a single blog post, but I will say the most influential aspect of the experience so far has been having a team.

Generally speaking writing a novel is a solo event. There is no baton to pass, no jerseys to wear and no bench to warm. As far as I was concerned you sit in a room typing until you come up with a finished novel (I now see the error of my ways). So when I was signed to a publisher and introduced to the other authors I was a) intimidated (because these people were waaaay more qualified than I was in my mind) and b) a bit annoyed/anxious that I was expected to interact with other humans. Then just as I got comfortable with the team of creators the company opened a semi-public group on Facebook.  This meant interacting with the public (which is made up of other humans in case you were wondering). As it turns out both groups were invaluable in helping me grow as a writer.

It may sound cliche, but interacting in both contexts gave my confidence a huge boost. The other authors gave me great feedback and exposed me to different genres and styles of writing in a way I wouldn’t have found anywhere else. Once I realized I wasn’t under the microscope the public group was another great place to hear from the writer and reader community. As a writer you should write first and foremost for yourself, but every now and then it doesn’t hurt to hear that someone else is interested in hearing your story.

Secondly, the way I portrayed writing above sounds more akin to a dungeon than a creative haven (unless that’s your jam). Even my publisher told me right after I signed “I’ll add you to the group of creators if you’d like, so you don’t feel like you’re working in a hole.” I didn’t realize I had been working in a hole until someone tossed me a rope.

Even if they’re not working on the same project, there is something about having a group of authors all working to tell their stories that is motivating. We’re not all in the same boat but we’re definitely in the same fleet.

Whenever one of us has hit a snag or a half formed idea or just found an entertaining meme, this is the place to share it. It’s a place where every accomplishment and contribution is appreciated.

Thirdly, people help keep you motivated. I don’t mean that in the “You can do eeeet!” cat poster motivational way (although we do have some of those lovely people too). When you’re working on something for a long time it can be easy to lose steam at some point. Sometimes another thousand words feels like a drop in the bucket at the end of each day. Other days you’re just not feeling it. Knowing there are people excitedly waiting for your work can help spark some momentum. Again I will say you should write for yourself but motivation can come from anywhere. You should never look a gift horse in the mouth and never toss aside anything that motivates you to keep creating. Unless it’s smelly, then maybe hold it at arms length and hit it with a shot of Febreeze.

I was extremely lucky in that a community built itself up around our publishing group. That probably is not the case for everyone. But don’t fret! There are plenty of groups on social media and writing themed sites for you to join, contribute to and become a part of. It may take some time, effort, and patience but I think cultivating a team to write with is worth every second of it. After all, where else can you talk to and about your fictional characters without having your sanity questioned? For the record, nobody in the group questions my sanity; it has been out of the office for awhile and is no longer taking calls. He even has a little sign on the door. So would that make it out-sanity instead? Okay, I’m done now.

 

 

An Alpha needs a Beta…Reader that is

For those who don’t know (much like myself before I got serious about writing) beta readers are basically mini-editors for your work (and not those little fish in bowls at the pet store who have mastered the English language). They will read through your chapters or manuscript and give you feedback. If you’re lucky it will be useful feedback, but I’ll come back to that. Now I can’t speak for all writers, but I know when a work is still in its early stages showing it to someone else can be pretty daunting.

Your story is young, unrefined, and not savvy enough to refuse candy from strangers. Beta readers can be the Mr. Miyagi that helps them become better and stronger.

Self-editing is a vital process, but it can only take you so far. Which brings me to my next point. How convenient!

A computer program can pick out most spelling and grammatical errors for you, so why do you need a person? Perspective, that’s why. What, that single word doesn’t lay it all out for you? Very well, then I’ll elaborate. An author knows their story inside and out. Every detail, planned or not, is swimming around in their head. Every bit of backstory, every motive, and every step that is building towards the climax. Unless they are telepathic, your readers will not benefit from this knowledge. They will only see what is there. They will have their own expectations about where the story is going and how things fit together. Beta readers can share that perspective with you and therefore help you refine it in ways you couldn’t do on your own. They can provide another eye that doesn’t suffer from being too close to the story.

So beta readers are basically magical beings with powers mere mortal writers could never posses, right? Well not quite. Like everything, some are better than others, and most of the time “better” isn’t an objective measure. It is very much a function of personality and preference. Some will nit pick details, some will sniff out plot holes and others will analyze characters, for example, and all of these can be good things if that’s what the writer needs (and wants). Writers need to be clear if they’re looking for feedback on something specific and consequently need to be open minded enough to consider what the beta reader has to say. The one thing I’ve found that almost always makes for a “bad” beta reader is someone who reads your story, then tells you how you should make it better. To be clear, this is not pointing out where something doesn’t work; this is when they tell you “it would be better if…” or “you should do it this way…” A good beta reader should help you to tell your story, not try to change it into the story they want it to be.

While it can be tempting to ask friends and family, ask yourself if they can give objective feedback. Usually the answer is no. I got very lucky and found an exception there. My best beta reader is an old friend of mine, but he is more than willing to question and challenge me. Most of the time you’ll have to invest time in getting to know other writers (and offering to beta read for one another is a nice incentive) to find a good team of betas. And yes, I said team. It’s not enough to have one. I would say three to five is ideal. If you only have one, you have no way of knowing if the issue they’re bringing up is really an issue or just a personal preference of theirs. If you hear the same thing from several betas it might mean you need to take a closer look at something.

So that’s my stance on beta readers. They can be magical allies if you take the time to find a good team that works with and for you and your work. Or they can be frustrating, time consuming and soul sucking. Maybe not that bad, but I enjoy the image of Nazgul-esque creatures scratching notes on a manuscript and hissing their critiques. So I leave you with that image. And also this one.

Image url: http://jenelleschmidt.com/beta-readers-wanted/