Procrastination

‘Write the book.’

This is actually a quote from Twilight-Boy, AKA Robert Pattinson. Thankfully, Liz is apparently over her Twilight obsession and isn’t Team-Anything at the moment, so she hasn’t been playing endless Twilight clips on YouTube. But I like the quote, and hear it in his British accent whenever I am …not writing the book.

I have been reading blogs about writing. About publishing. About agents and books and authors and marketing and web pages and….you get the idea. During this same period, I have only added about 4000 words to the book. Part of that is the rewriting of chapters 2 &3, trying to keep my lead character in character, since him having multiple personality disorder really isn’t part of the plot. Some of the reading has been helpful, allowing me to see that those chapters needed work. But more, I think it has been about delaying, stalling.

You see, if the book isn’t done I don’t have to show it to anyone. And I am terrified of letting anyone read what I’ve been writing. I’ve tried to explain this to Jeanne – to find a good analogy for what this fear feels like. The only thing I can come up with is running down the median – on I-4 – naked. During rush hour.

I need to write the damn book. Without that, all of the reading about agents and publishers and all that other dreck has just been wasted time.

So, I’ve decided. Next week I’m going to go to a local writer’s critique group meeting. I’ll see if it’s any easier to let total strangers read what I’ve written. If that doesn’t work out, there’s always I-4.

Book WC: 22,481

Hive WC: 1128