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Wow... has it really been 6 years already? Doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was writing something for CT's 5th anniversary issue. Time flies when you throw it out the window.
That more or less brings me to the subject of this month's column: procrastinating and wasting time, two vices that writers/world developers/GMs (and heck, everyone else) should avoid. As I sit here, there are a lot of things I should be doing: writing my CT article (ok, I actually am doing that), working on one of the two RP character background stories I'm currently in the middle of, starting one of the two or three stores floating around in my head, working on some important Ultima Online related projects, cleaning my apartment (in-laws are visiting during the first week of April), working on my business's website or inventory, maybe even doing some world development (my main world hasn't been touched in months, and I'm supposed to be designing a continent for a far-distant D&D game). What was I doing before I started this article? Playing Horizons, my current MMORPG addiction. And if I wasn't playing Horizons, I would have been randomly browsing the web or IMing friends.
There's more to this problem than simple laziness. After all, it's not like writing or world development are really work. They're both things that I love to do. Yet instead of bringing up Word Perfect and typing away, I work on my dragon's crafting skills or worse yet, waste half an hour of my life playing Freecell. That's right - somehow, instead of doing the things I love, I play a stupid solitaire game, and I don't know why.
Motivation is a big part of the equation. You don't just have to want to do something, you have to want to do it more than everything else that you could be doing right now. Sometimes this is easy. Given the choice between doing the dishes and writing, I'd much rather write. But if the choice is write or go play Horizons, Horizons oftentimes wins. And thus my writing projects get pushed further and further onto the back burner.
I have a feeling that writers were more prolific when they just used typewriters. Typewriters don't have solitaire, or internet connections, or hard drive space to fill up with lots of games. Granted, they also didn't have a backspace key or a spell checker, but nothing's perfect. My point is, it's easier to write without distractions. I can be in the middle of writing and suddenly decide to go check my message boards between paragraphs, and it greatly cuts down on my productivity.
Unfortunately, motivation alone isn't enough. Inspiration factors in heavily as well. There have been days when I've spent an hour staring at my computer screen and only managed to write a line or two. Heck, the reason it's taken me so long to write this month's column is that I didn't have any inspiration. I'm pretty much making this up as I go along (as I'm sure you all can tell. This column is painfully disjointed).
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has these problems, so I'm going to pad my column by offering these helpful tips on how to force yourself to write instead of goofing off.
- Give yourself a deadline. My CT articles get written because I have a deadline to write them by (it helps that this deadline is enforced by an editor with a bullwhip). I try to give myself deadlines like "I will have this country finished by Thursday" or "I will finish this background story before the next session". I rarely get them finished on time, but at least I get some writing done because I feel the deadline looming.
- Set goals for your writing. This is kind of like a deadline, but I'm splitting them up to make my list look longer. Good goals are "Spend an hour a day working on my world" or "Write 10 pages this week" or "Get at least a basic outline done to get the GM off my back about my character background."
- Get other people involved. As I said above, my CT articles get written because I had an editor with a bullwhip. I'm still working on my character backgrounds because I have GMs and players waiting for them, especially since a few people have read parts of them and want to see the rest. On the other hand, my world isn't getting worked on because I've stopped telling people about it so no one's waiting to see it.
- Minimize the distractions. First of all, sign off of your IM programs. I've had days when I was full of inspiration, typing away, and then I get nailed by 3 IMs at once and there goes my writing. It's also best to write when no one else is home, so they don't talk to you while you're writing. Music is good, but keep it quiet and inspiring.
- Write while you're doing other things. Kinda contradicts 4, doesn't it? It works, though. You won't get your best writing done while you're busy doing other things, but you might get a few lines in here and there. I write while I'm RPing on-line, or waiting for someone to log into UO, or even while I'm crafting on Horizons. If I could just figure out how to write while I was doing dishes and other housework, I'd have it made.
Please note: There are some things that require your undivided attention and thus should not be done in tandem with writing. These include combat situations in MMORPGs, real-life gaming sessions, home work, performing delicate operations, and sex.
- Get inspired. Easier said than done, I know, but there are a few things you can do to jumpstart your inspiration. Doze off (daydreams rock). Put on some good music. Watch a movie or read a book that shares some similarities with your own story or world (just be careful not to be TOO inspired by it, you don't want to accidentally rip something off). Discuss your ideas with someone else (my husband is a great sounding board for writing ideas and often helps me smooth things out). Think about your story before you go to sleep at night, when you wake up, when you're in the shower, when you're in the car.
- When all else fails, force yourself to write. Delete everything other than your word processing program from your computer (or get a type writer or an old fashioned notebook and pen). Handcuff yourself to your writing desk (make sure that your chain is long enough to allow room to type/write). Be sure to have snacks and drinks handy, and have someone unlock you for bathroom breaks.
- Get an editor with a bullwhip. It works. Trust me.
I hope that this month's column will help all of you out there battle your urge to procrastinate, or that it at least amused you a bit. Tune in next month and find out if I've actually taken my own advice to heart and worked on my world!
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