Saturday, July 11, 2015

My Top Ten Ways to Procrastinate While "Writing"

Any author will tell you we don't just sit in front of a computer screen for hours on end and let the words flow freely (and if they do tell you that, chances are they are lying.) My method consists of writing furiously for ten to thirty minutes at a time and then distracting myself for a few minutes. Here's my top ten ways to ensure nothing productive happens:
10) Check to see what song is playing on Pandora.  Of course, I usually recognize the songs on my favorite stations, but sometimes something new will come on. Then, of course, I have to see what it is!
9) Check email.  There's very rarely anything of interest in my in-box. But sometimes it's worth a second just to confirm that no one important has sent me anything of interest, like this Nigerian Prince I've heard about.
8) Check my blog posts. Sometimes I stop by just to see if there are any comments or how many people have read my post.  There are rarely comments (sad face emoticon).
7) Check Fiverr.  I'm pretty much done selling my soul as an editor on Fiverr. But occasionally I will check in to see if any funds have cleared.
6) Look at pictures on Pinterest for inspiration.  I don't spend a lot of time here, but sometimes it helps to clarify my thinking. Particularly when I am checking out my secret "hot guy" board... just saying.
5) Look up something for my story.  I like to double-check my facts from time to time, or see what type of vehicle I should incorporate, pick out a snazzy hotel for my MC, that sort of thing.
4) Tweet. I often have random thoughts while I am writing that needed to be Twittered.  Here's one from earlier today, "If my husband's not gonna read my books, I'm gonna start naming my heroes after my ex-boyfriends." It had to be said, people. Incidentally, follow me @authoridjohnson
3) Check for new reviews.  I don't get a lot of reviews. I still like to check every once in a while to see if anyone has any insight into my writing they would like to share. If you do, please be kind. I am mostly human.
2) Check Facebook.  There's really nothing to see here.  Checking my newsfeed really only consumes half of my day, tops.

1) Check to see if I've sold any books. This would also include the page count for the new KDP program. I check this several hundred thousand times per day. It is almost always the same....

All right, my fellow writers! What eats up your time??

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