Week of Feb. 2, 2014 – A Writer’s Guide to Making Excuses

By: Joan Whetzel

 

            Everyone makes excuse when they don’t feel like doing something, and come up with a whole list of reasons why the shouldn’t get to work. Writer’s are no exception. I am guilty  of creating excuses NOT to write. I’ve done it many times. Sometimes, the excuses win. Usually, I can find ways to overcome the excuses. But, I’ll admit, it’s not easy.

 

            There are two main keys to beating out the excuses. The first  key is in realizing that, as a freelance writer, I am the manager of my own business. As manager I cannot allow my “employees” to slack off. The second key is to motivate myself to get the researching, writing, and editing done in a timely manner. The main way is to bribe myself with a reward for getting the work done. Yeah, I get paid (most of the time) but there are days when I need additional enticement, like the promise of  a movie, or a nice lunch/dinner, or an afternoon at the park.

 

            Some of the excuses I have used include:

1.      It’s Too Big of a Project / There’s Too Much to Do. Breaking down the projects into smaller, more manageable bites, that can be completed by a specific due date helps overcome this excuse.

2.      I Feel Like Procrastinating. This is usually a problem with getting started with a project. I usually find that my routine has begun to get longer as an avoidance excuse to writing. I end up trimming back my routine to the barest essentials. And bring out the bribery.

3.      I Think My Idea Is Bad. I find I’m using this excuse when I don’t have enough information to flesh out the ideas. Overcoming this excuse usually means additional research. Sometimes, I need to let the ideas simmer on the back burner while I work on other projects. The solutions come to me when I least expect them.

4.      Other People’s Interruptions. Yes I have let other people interrupt my train of thought, then couldn’t get it back. The ways to get rid of this excuse is to let people know you’re working during specific time frames and ask them not to call, to use the answering machine, to turn off your cell phone, or to take the lap top to the park or some other location where nobody can find you. I have long since quit feeling guilty about avoiding others, especially when I’m on a roll.

 

            For every excuse, there is a remedy. I find that bribery really works.