Every once in a while I feel like I've run out of blog post ideas.  I can think of plenty of topics, but I seem to shoot them down the instant they appear, before they have a chance to make it safely to that part of my brain where they can incubate, and possibly hatch into something interesting.

It's put a lot of unnecessary pressure on me, until I finally realized what was wrong:  I was thinking too far ahead.

I was trying to PLOT, rather than PANTS. 

If there's one thing I know about myself, it's that I can't plan things more than a few days ahead of time, and even when I do, it's gonna be in pencil—while I'm brandishing an eraser in my other hand.

That's when I realized I needed to call upon a higher power:  The Power of Procrastination.  It's often characterized as the ugly stepsister of Avoidance, and I will admit I've helped to keep that notion alive.  But I wonder if I've been a little too harsh. 

After all, what is Procrastination but Avoidance allowed to roam free?

Let's take a peek at some famous procrastinators:

Scarlett O'Hara:  "After all, tomorrow is another day"

Mark Twain:  "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow"

Lil Orphan Annie:  Honestly, is there anybody who could love "tomorrow" more than this gal?

What do they all have in common?  They have a deep-seated, unshakeable, abiding belief that there is PLENTY OF TIME.

Yes, procrastination is a hope-based philosophy.  Optimism is the cornerstone of this belief system, along with faith that time won't run out before we finish what we need to do. . .some distant day in the future.

Ironically, even though procrastinators believe there is plenty of time, we are actually given LESS time than that allotted to non-procrastinators.  But we don't let that bother us.  Why?  Because we know that our efficiency and productivity kicks in whenever there is a "last minute". 

We like residing on that tiny ledge that is crumbling into the abyss.  It revs us up and sparks our creativity.  We're adrenaline junkies, thrill seekers, addicted to the mania that comes with accomplishing something in record time while everyone around us is having panic attacks thinking we waited too long.  

If there's anyone that knows how to ratchet up the suspense. . .it's procrastinators.

Yet somehow, miraculously, with hosannas from heaven above, we get it done.  Because there was actually plenty of time to accomplish WHAT HAD TO BE DONE. 

We didn't get distracted by all the possibilities, the paths not taken, the meanderings that might have been fun but ultimately would have paralyzed us because there was too much to choose from. 

Instead, with the clock ticking, we used our laser-beam focus to concentrate on the essentials, those things that could not be ignored, and it was a bright light guiding us to our destination.

So how do we make procrastination work as a writing tool?  Here are a few suggestions:

1. Set a deadline.  And then ignore it, until—yup, the last minute.  This works particularly well with contests, class assignments, chapters that a critique partner is waiting on, or, my personal favorite, blog posts.


2. Do all your Hierarchy of Avoidance chores, to make sure you get them out of the way--and then do whatever you feel like the rest of the day.  After all, there's always tomorrow to do some writing.  You need time to ponder all the possible plot threads in your story, and this is the time for it, not later when you're scribbling to get the word count done.


3. Start something and then set it aside to work on something else.  Then put it down and move onto a third project.  Leave all of them half-finished until it's time to get something done, then grab the one that intrigues you and write like the wind.

These are just a few methods, and yes, I've tested all of them ahead of time, so you can be assured they have earned the DRD Seal of Approval.

Now it's your turn.  Share some of your favorite tips and tricks for utilizing The Power of Procrastination.  Maybe we'll even gather them and put them in a book. . . one of these days.

DRD:  Welcome back to Hero Hot Seat!  Yes, it's been a while.  The last hero was a little too hot, so the fire marshal got involved, and there was that whole four-alarm blaze thing.  But I know you're going to love today's guest, Philip Burgess, Duke of Rutherford, the hero of SEDUCING THE DUCHESS— 

*Captain Jack Sparrow saunters onto the stage, blowing kisses to the audience*   

DRD:  Hey!  I'm in the middle of a show! 

Captain Jack:  Perfect!  *faces the camera and bows* 

DRD:  *yanks Captain Jack up by his collar*  Look, I know you're big on impromptu appearances after that recent school visit, but I already have a guest today. 

Captain Jack:  But I'm here! 

DRD:  *tries to look sad*  So sorry!  *puts hand to corner of mouth* Psst!  Security.  *tilts head in Captain Jack's direction* 

*two burly security guards lift him by the arms, his legs bicycling madly in the air as they head backstage* 

*loud crash offstage* 

DRD:  *presses finger to ear mike*  He did what?  *looks at the camera*  It looks like our guest is going to be delayed.  Fortunately, we have his creator, debut author Ashley March, standing by.  Because who could possibly know a hero better than his author! 

Audience:  THE HEROINE! 

DRD:  Well, yeah, but—give a big round of applause for Ashley March!  Ashley, can I get you something to drink?  We have a fully-stocked bar, along with a coffee maker, an espresso maker, a French press coffee maker. . . 

Ashley: *cranes neck to look in the direction of Captain Jack* Is he on the menu?  No? Are you sure? *gives audience salacious wink* Could he come back and serve my beverage? 

DRD:  Well, um, sure, but he can't even compare to Philip, your hero.  I recently spent the night with him—er, well, I read his story, SEDUCING THE DUCHESS, in one night.  *fans face and takes a sip of ice water*  Tell us more about him. 

Ashley:  Ah, Philip.  *eyes glaze over wistfully*  Well, he looks a bit like Clive Owen.  Tall, dark, handsome, of course.  Also rather like Captain Jack…without the dreadlocks.  The kind of man that makes you want to rip off his clothes and…I mean…*clears throat* He makes you want to rip off his exterior masks and reveal the man beneath.  You see, on the surface he’s not hero material.  He’s arrogant, manipulative, and can even be deceitful at times.  But he’s desperately in love with his wife, Charlotte, and that’s what redeems him.  For her, he’ll do anything.  Even change from the villain of the story into a hero, if need be. 

DRD:  *sighs*  This is a "reconciliation story", which sounds  tough to write, because there's a history between the characters, as well as emotional obstacles in place.  You did it wonderfully though because I was a nervous wreck the last third of the book!  What was it like writing this kind of story?  

Ashley: *still looking toward the back for Captain Jack*…Oh!  What was that?  Reconciliation story.  Right.  It warms my heart to hear you were a nervous wreck. *smiles* In some ways, it was easier to write such a story because there was a history between them.  The emotions and attraction were already there, and all I had to do was get them on the page.  At the same time, however, that’s also why writing the book was difficult.  I had to balance the vulnerability, anger, resentment, attraction, etc. in a way which would be believable for readers.  This meant I couldn’t make it easy for Philip to get Charlotte back, and Charlotte had to give as good as she got.  Although their love story isn’t very neat or pretty, it shows that failures can be overcome, hearts can be healed, and even the worst marriage can be redeemed by love and forgiveness.   

DRD:  Did the idea for the story come first, or was it the hero? 

Captain Jack:  *pops up between DRD and Ashley*  Did someone say hero? 

DRD:  *shrieks and puts a hand to her bosom*  Eyes up, Captain!  Or I'll pop them out with a fork. 

Captain Jack:  *winces*  I merely wanted to ask this lovely lady a question.  *lifts Ashley's hand to his lips*  Your heroine Charlotte was quite the saucy wench.  Perhaps even a bit of a pirate in another life.   You must have created her with me in mind, no? 

Ashley:  *grabs DRD’s ice water and holds it to her forehead*  Well…not exactly.  *mouths to DRD “He kissed my hand!”* Although I’m sure she likes rum, too, I, um, created Charlotte as the perfect heroine opposite of Philip.  She was inspired by Scarlett from Gone with the Wind, and-- 

Captain Jack:  Oh.  I thought--perhaps I might help inspire your next hero then.  *attempts a seductive pose* 

DRD:  *snorts*  I'm sure she's already created her next hero.  Ashley, can you give us a hint of who that might be, and how long we have to wait before we see him on the shelves? 

Ashley: *blushing as she looks back and forth between Jack and DRD* Sure.  Sebastian Madinger, the Earl of Wriothesly, is my next hero.  He’ll be appearing in Romancing the Countess, set to release in Fall 2011.  It’s a story about Sebastian and his best friend’s wife, who are drawn together after their spouses die in a carriage accident and it’s discovered they were having an affair.  It’s a sweet, sexy, emotional book…that’s currently lacking any pirates.  *smiles at Jack* But perhaps I can convince my editor to let me make one last change. 

Captain Jack:  *preens* Ashley, everyone loves to hear those Port of Call Stories.  So. . .when might I call upon you? 

DRD:  *shakes her head*  Could you tell us your Call Story, either with your agent, or editor, or both? 

Ashley: *leans over and whispers something in Captain Jack’s ear before turning back to DRD*  Ahem.  My Call Story.  Yes, of course.  How about with my agent? I had started SEDUCING THE DUCHESS before I got pregnant with my first daughter, and then the nausea hit…and then my hips ached…and then all I wanted to do was sleep.  After she was born, I still hadn’t finished the manuscript.   I had about 80 pages to go.  However, being quite sleep-deprived and assuming it would take forever before I got an answer, I decided to go ahead and query a couple of agents anyway.  One read the first ten pages I was allowed to submit with my query and a few days later asked for the FULL.  Shocked, I asked for advice from my writer friends and replied with an email saying I needed about three weeks to “polish” the story.  Two weeks and five days later, I submitted the full.  The following Wednesday she emailed me, said she loved the story, and asked if she could call me the next morning.  I said yes, of course, didn’t sleep at all that night, and was surprised that I even let her say two words the next day before I accepted her offer of representation.  It was a fantastic day.   

Captain Jack:  *lays head on Ashley's shoulder*  That was lovely, although we should probably talk about my pants now. 

DRD:  *glares at Captain Jack*  He's always a bit of a flirt when we have guests, but he's quite taken with you, Ashley.  I hope you don't mind.  And I dearly hope he’s asking if you're a plotter or a pantser. 

Ashley: No, no.  I don’t mind…at all.  *blushing again* Becoming a published author who submits proposals has forced me to become more of a plotter.  I’m still a pantser at heart, though.  I basically plot out all the major points of the story, then pants it the rest of the way.  I usually don’t know exactly what’s going to happen in the next chapter until I’m finished with the current one.  *bats eyelashes at Captain Jack* And may I say, Captain, your pants are quite lovely. 

Captain Jack:   *prances down the stage like it’s a catwalk and spins before falling off* 

DRD:  Ashley, thank you so much for stepping in when Philip, uh, well, became indisposed.  Now it's time for questions from the audience.  Hopefully Ashley can stay around for a bit, or stop by later, so fire away!   Uh, forget I said fire. . .And don't forget to stop by www.ashleymarch.com for more info!

What better way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.  In bed.  Taking a nap.  Or waking from a nap.  Recuperating from the last nap so you can get ready for the next one.

And aren't these naptime buddies the sweetest?  They aren't even hogging the covers!  No need to worry about it being cold this time of year.  Even when they're half-dressed--or half-undressed--these hotties generate a LOT of heat.

(I recently wrote this blog for my chances site, and decided I could spice it up and add some SEX to it and post it on the ship. Because it’s a SEXY subject. Sorta. My sexing it up is in italics.)

Tortured by Chance (Now isn’t that a sexy topic? Torture and all!)

I’m being slowly roasted lately. Determined to have a second volume available for Decadent should The Kraken’s Mirror do well, I’ve been slogging through the adventures of a second couple in the kraken’s world. (A very sexy couple, whose sexual tastes run  toward BDSM. The heroine is very dominant and her lover is willing to do whatever it takes to make her happy. SEXY!)

Mick is the lover of the Jezebel. She captains the ship featured in The Kraken’s Mirror. And their story is a bit more convoluted. Jezebel isn’t a native to the kraken’s world. She arrived through a portal some thirty years earlier, from an extremely aggressive, capitalistic steampunk world known as Novan. She’s brilliant and brings with her many of the innovations that enable the ipods to play, the blenders to blend, etc.

(I could have had her bring stripper poles and porn movies to Tortuga, but it is a pirates’ paradise and so those things…well, they’d already be there. Right? An open attitude toward sex being a pirate attribute. At least it’s an attribute in my pirate world!)

Jezebel is forty five years old, with fiery red hair and very protective of her adopted world. When she arrived, she allied with the magic makers of Tortuga and blocked Novan from invasion. But Jez has a lot of secrets. Her heart is fortified against softer emotions and commitment is simply not in her vocabulary.

Mick is her carefree partner. They’ve been lovers on and off for nearly twenty years. He knows she holds back but up until now, he’s been content with that. After seeing Emily and Silvestri succeed and flourish in a relationship (book one), he’s thinking it might be time to change the on and off for a more permanent berth.

Then Jezebel’s homeworld breaks though the protections, intent of bringing back their lost daughter. And all her inventions. Plus the world she discovered is ripe for harvest…

(This gets really involved. I mean, they don’t just want to use Tortuga as a new and vulnerable market. They also want to strip away the brightest and the best, offer them all the opportunities of working for Novan, in their quest to make money. And of course, several high powered Novaneese are sexual deviants, so it gets tricky!)

Bwah ha ha!

Sounds great, don’t it?

Sigh. Torture. Pure torture. (And not the fun sexy type of torture. No soft furry handcuffs and padded floggers. Darn.) Page by page, I’m slogging my way through this. Fighting to keep the adventure from bogging down in darker events. (Jez has good reasons to keep her secrets. And some serious topics that I’m working on and want to get right!)

I really want this book in the first draft by the end of the month. I’m a bit over 40k and need about 70k. I’ve done the math, figure I need 2k a day.

(I have another project I want to start with NaNoWrMo. Give this book a rest for a month. And somewhere in there, I hope to begin tackling revisions for The Kraken’s Mirror. Yes, going to be an insane holiday season. Anything to keep me out of the mall and holiday carol madness, I figure!)

So, I’ve decided two pages at a time. Two pages in the morning when I first arrive at Starbucks. Two pages right before I leave. Two pages when I get home. Two pages before bed. And I’ll have 2k a day. Between all of this is walking the dog, blogging, e-mail, twitter…oh, and some housework. And researching where to go for bookmarks, keeping track of my webpage redesign… Deciding on a sexy feathered pen…

Weeeeee!
They're coming to take me away, ha-haaa!!
They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa
To the funny farm. Where life is beautiful all the time and I'll be
happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats and they're
coming to take me away, ha-haaa!!!!!

 

 

How do you handle the deadline stuff? Besides going with those nice young men? (For reason other than sex!) Do goals like this work for you? Always liked this song…

Last month, I effectively maimed my WIP.  Coupled with a lack of writing/critiquing/thinking time, I’ve tried to jumpstart my brain by revisiting craft books.  Notice, I haven’t read any new craft books as that would require more energy from me than I have.  But I’ve looked over books I’ve read before and I’ve read my notes.  I’ve hoped that something magical would happen in the firing of my neurons.

Nothing new to save my WIP, sadly.  But I did have a bit of a planning revelation.

In You Can Write a Romance by Rita Clay Estrada (the Rita behind THOSE Ritas) I found the method of structuring scenes.  Ms Estrada postulates that scenes aren’t just scenes, that they should be formed in a series of scenes and sequels.  The scene is the proactive part and the sequel deals with the reaction of those actions.  It goes like this….

Scene:

• Goal


• Action


• Disaster

Sequel:

• Reaction


• Dilemma


• Decision

An example from my WIP:  my heroine wants to extort money from my hero to pay off a debt (goal).  She tells him that she can help him prove his brother’s innocence for a hefty price (action).  But the hero doesn’t agree, doesn’t believe she can do what she says, and threatens to turn her over to the magistrates if she doesn’t leave him immediately (disaster).   She’s surprised he won’t even consider what she has to say.  She’s desperate for money and unsettled by her attraction to him.  She also is guilty because she really isn’t telling him the whole truth (reaction).  Her attraction to him complicates what she thought would be a heartless business venture and she considers abandoning her plan (dilemma).  Ultimately, she decides she can’t stop on her course because her financial situation is dire and she gives him a ring from his brother to corroborate her story (decision).

This little revelation has made me rethink motivation throughout my story.  I need to go back through and see if I actually HAVE motivation throughout my story.

I’m already having heart palpitations.

What’s the best piece of information you’ve found in a craft book?  I know, I’m talking craft.  Don’t everyone jump ship.  Share your little tidbits of craft gold here with us today.

The picture is courtesy of my 3 year old.  He's totally psyched for the Cars SEQUEL. (See?  You doubted my tie-in.  But it's there.  See?)

“Scarlet Canvas” - Haloscript (Ghosts & Good Intentions, 2008)

So you would think with a month off of blogging on the RWR I'd have great stories and insightful things to discuss.

Wrong.

But undoubtedly you already knew that. I mean, we are talking about me, Sin- the very epitome of procrastination.

I would love to tell of a sweeping tale of my mischievousness and of my innate ability to get stuff done even while more stuff is crashing down around me. Alas, I cannot. I mean, I could lie. Pirates are good at that. But I don't even find excitement in the prospect of it all.

With that being said, there is something to be said for moving two steps forward. Even if you fall one steps back. I've been thinking on my urban fantasy series (UFS). I spoke a few months ago on Anime always being a part of my life. I'm caught up in the drama of the picturesque way cartoonist draw the characters and tell the story. Always tales of the hero's journey, drama, angst, romance. And the blood curdling action. Death in Anime is awe-inspiring to a writer's imagination. The very scene wells inside your heart, grabs a hold of your creative juju and forces you to formulate new ideas on description.

In my mind, my UFS has played out as a live action Manga. Not quite transformed into Anime form, more picturesque in its beauty of the art form. One scene that is firmly planted in my mind is a death scene. I don't know if you've ever encountered a death scene or a scene of great angst in Anime or Manga (I urge you to pull one up online and just look at the stills of it) but these scenes always lead to great action. The hero/heroine loses someone very close to them (albeit: friend, husband, lover, family) and the hero/heroine completely loses control. Emotions spill out like blood on pavement. Your heart races in anticipation of the outcome. You know, as the viewer, something completely story changing is about to happen.

I see my UFS alive inside my mind. My heroine loses her companion. Her family hired hoards of assassins to kill her companion, and to bring my heroine back into the fold. Yet, her family wasn't aware of one thing- my heroine was holding onto her powers vicariously through her companion. Once her companion is gone, my heroine completely loses control. Every time I close my eyes, I see this behind my eyelids. The power that rises, tickles over my skin. The way it feels burning through her veins. The very static riffles through her hair as if it were a strong breeze blowing. The life snuffs out of her companion and there is no one to hold her back. No one to tell her no. No one to care. There is no one but my heroine. My heroine destroys everything without lifting a finger. Power leaks from her very soul. She no longer cares for this life that has taken so much from her and to obliterate so much life is death to herself.

The scene replays over and over again. It never alters from its original form. So as a present to myself, the scene will come alive. And I can't wait to see it in illustration form. Manga style.

So while I've not thought of clever and witty things to discuss while I've been studiously working in my office on software bugs and claim issues, my brain has obsessed over one thing. My word must be written and I must see it if I want to move on. Learn the hero's journey, see the hero's journey, live the hero's journey.

So, lately have you jumped two steps only to fall back one in your quest to finish your latest manuscript (or even your latest project)? How do you focus on completing the task at hand? (If ever.)

PS. We've been blogging together for 3 years. Three years! I have to say this is one of the longest maintained relationships I've ever had. Oddly, while I should feel dejected I've not gotten further in my goal in publishing (my fault- procrastination has it's downfalls); I feel really accomplished and proud to be a part of RWR and it's group of wonderfully accomplished wenches. Congrats on 3 years, pirates.

Ahoy-ho, mates! It’s Columbus Day, that dubious holiday where we celebrate the guy who didn’t really discover America but says he did. (The Vikings found it first, but I guess this is one of those things where if you don’t write it down, it didn’t happen.) Columbus Day annoys me, mostly because we never get the day off here. Banks, post office, everywhere else—they are enjoying the Fall weather, but here where I am, we’re stuck at our desks.

Which is why you’re getting a blog instead of a “we’re in port” because if I have to be here, I think you should too.

But Chris does offer us writers an interesting inspiration. He’s not the first guy to play fast and loose with history, but I like to think he’s the first guy who’s got a holiday celebrating a guy who played fast and loose with history. If you think about it, I suppose you can’t blame him for not wanting the Vikings to get credit. “What? Those barbarians in a rowboat?” He was a Renaissance guy, right? If someone was going to discover America, shouldn’t it be the good-looking, well-educated, civilized guy?

(“Good-looking, well-educated, civilized” used as loosely here as “discovering America”, you understand.)

And if you think about the historicals we read now, we’re doing the same things, aren’t we? Tweaking the facts to make history more palatable. In the good old days, weren’t we all barbarians in a rowboat? Wouldn’t we like to read about the version of ourselves as good-looking, well-educated, and civilized? Of course, we do. It’s romantic.

So if you were writing a historical, what period would you write about and what would be the first thing you’d change for history’s sake? And what’s the one thing you could not compromise history for?



P.S. Just because I’m blogging in a civilized manner about corrupting history for writing’s sake does not mean I won’t be ranting about any authors in the future who use 90210 characters in their Regencies. I’m speaking more about not dying in childbirth, good dental hygiene, and perfect skin type stuff.