Hey guys! Kaitlyn here! It’s been a VERY LONG TIME, huh?! Not that I was good at blogging before, but I REALLY stink at it now (thanks nursing school). Today, a good friend and wonderful author has written a guest post for her Newly-Released Novel’s Blog Tour. (The book is WHERE SHADOWS LIE and you can find it on Amazon). Now, without further ado… I give you, Tialla Rising (or just Tia, as I call her♡)

*   *   *   *   *

Hello readers!  Before I get started on this post, I just want to say that I am very honored to be posting here today!  Thank you, Kaitlyn, for letting me chat for a bit.  I hope you enjoy my thoughts!

My topic is all about writers and procrastination.  If you’re a writer, you know procrastination is basically the bane of our careers.  Procrastination and writers tend to go hand in hand, am I right?  I haven’t once known a writer who doesn’t procrastinate at least somewhat.  I think there is a reason for this, actually.  That is, when we do buckle down and outline/write/edit, we work really, really hard.  Like, mind-numbingly I-need-to-reward-myself-with-chocolate-and-Netflix hard.  Thus, it can be rather difficult at times to force ourselves away from the social media, movies, and pleasure-reading books to work on our own projects.

However, if we dare to call ourselves writers, there is one thing we must do: write.  Which means that at some point or another, we have to unplug and start dripping words from our hearts to the paper.  I have compiled a list of five different approaches/activities that help me conquer the procrastination demons.  I hope you find these helpful as well!

—The perfect beverage.  One of the most helpful things I’ve found for focusing is having the perfect drink available.  This can be whatever you enjoy the most; for me it is often raspberry iced tea in the summer and coffee in the colder months.  All I know is that I can’t quite focus unless I have my drink.  Once I have it, a switch seems to turn on in my mind.  Haha!  Bizarre, I know, but hey—whatever helps, right?

—Internet-free.  There are numerous ways to eliminate Internet distractions from your writing time.  You can download programs and extensions like Calmly Writer and Scrivener.  Another option is to simply turn your device on airplane mode so you don’t even have the option of “I’ll just check Facebook real quick.”  There is also an ancient but incredible writing device known as the Alphasmart Neo.  This lap-sized wannabe computer is fantastic for focus writing.  I’ve invested in one, so I know this from personal experience.  It doesn’t have the ability to connect to the internet (so no distractions), only shows a few lines of text at a time (so no editing while writing), and isn’t backlit (so no glare when writing outdoors).  Ancient, yes, but ingenious.

—Semi Internet-Free. If you are reluctant to go completely internet-free while writing, there is another handy option for you.  Presenting, MyTomatoes.com.  I LOVE this website.  It’s just a simple pomodoro tracker.  With MyTomatoes, you write for 20 minutes, then take a 5 or 10 minute break.  At the end of each timer, you can write a description of what you accomplished (the number of pages, for example).  I found this quite helpful when I wanted to check social media or my email (or needed a bathroom break), but needed to focus on writing.  Just knowing that the timer was going infinitely helped me focus.

—Music.  Even though I can’t write while listening to music, I’ve found that listening to one or two motivational songs before I start writing is very helpful.  Once I listen to the music, I can usually focus on my writing much easier and stop procrastinating much faster.  I also find that songs which remind me of my story are immensely helpful.  These songs help me get in my characters’ mindsets and take the edge off the blank document staring back at me.  I’ve even created a Writing Playlist board on Pinterest for easy access.

—Leave off mid-scene.  My last tip is the most helpful of all for me.  Oftentimes, it’s easy to procrastinate because it’s rather difficult to write a new scene or chapter after a day’s break.  To combat this, whenever I was finished writing for the day, I left off mid-scene.  This could be at the beginning of a new chapter or in the middle.  As long as I already had a scene started, it was much easier to jump in and keep going.  Along those lines, another practice that helped me was leaving off with a couple notes regarding what I wanted to happen in the current and next scene.  That way when I came back to the story, not only would I have the flow of the scene established, but the direction as well.

Thank you again, Kaitlyn, for letting me post today!  I hope at least a few people found my ideas helpful, and I wish you all the best in your writing projects!  Feel free to visit my blog or website to connect with me further.  Have a great day!

*   *   *   *   *

BOOK TRAILER

Don’t forget to enter Tia’s RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY! 😀

Go! Click the link below! You won’t regret it!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*   *   *   *   *

Thank you for tuning in, and big thanks to Tialla for writing such a lovely post on those nasty procrastinating demons (I know I have them; do you?). Blessings to my dear friend, Tia, as she advances in her writing journey! Love ya, girl!

Quick update on what’s going on in the life of Kaitlyn-The-Stressed-Out-Nursing-Student:
I’m still in nursing school, but I graduate on December 8th!!! YAY! I can’t wait to be finished! I want to start my career as a nurse already,
AND I WANT TO START ON BOOK THREE IN THE WITCHES’ SLEEP TRILOGY!!!

Okay, I’ll leave it at that. Just a little more time, my darlings! Love you all for sticking by me through this milestone in my life.