Caught you! You’re procrastinating too, aren’t you? Why else would you be online right now? That’s okay. You’re in good company here! In fact, I have ten ways to put off starting that next writing project.

10. Look for pictures to help sort out what your characters look like, then get caught organizing pictures and possibly making a photo album on Shutterfly.

9. Make a sound track of your story to listen to while writing. Right now I’m searching for playful, whimsical instrumental music that fits my new MC’s attitude.

8. Pick out the clothes that make you feel like a writer, including a thinking cap. Why, yes, that is my thinking cap I’m wearing in my picture.

7. Buy a new journal just for this project to record this idea and that idea that will pop up and will need a place to be recorded. If you can find a water proof journal, please let me know. My brain tends to think of wonderful ideas while I’m showering, which are long gone by the time I’m dressed. Dag nab it!

6. Put new batteries in your dictaphone, because you know new ideas will pop in while your driving and your best ideas will occur when you have no dictaphone or paper and pen nearby. Hope your memory is better than mine!

5. Find said dictaphone. (Hmmmm, the MC of my next book may be to blame for missing dictaphone.)

4. Organize the garage because you know once you begin this project its going to swallow you up until its finished with you and your garage will remain a disaster zone until then.

3. Buy new ink and paper for your printer. Sometimes you need to be practical, right? And while you’re out, stop at Pier 1 because a new season is around the corner and you need to decorate your house for the new season before you start writing. Or else IT WILL NEVER GET DONE!

2. Eat your favorite writing meal/food. Who am I kidding? Get a glass of wine. (Unless, of course you’re a young author. In that case, get yourself a couple cookies first. Oh, okay, adults, you can have a couple cookies too. Just don’t have it with the wine. Not a good combination!)

1. Make a procrastination list to post on a blog.

Enough procrastinating! Go write some awful sentences! Don’t worry, they will get better. Just gotta get the awful ones out of the way first.  Be Brave!  Write!