Overcoming Procrastination as a Writer
by Alicia J. Love
Did you know that the average typing speed is 35 words per minute? As an author, I know that this is just data entry, but it does have a significant meaning to me personally. It means that I am not a slow writer.
After all, my hands struggle to keep up with my fast-paced brain.
My brain apparently isn’t typical, so some writers see my opinion on this pretty worthless, but I know there are like-minded, fast-minded people out there who want to write books just like I do.
So, here is the deal. I personally type 45 words per minute, yet it took me a good 6 months to write my third book. This doesn’t make sense. I was bursting with the story. I had a detailed, chapter by chapter outline, and if I sat down and typed the words that were floating around in my head, I should have had that book out in a week.
I mean, you can’t argue with math, right? If I write 2,400 words per hour, and I want my novel to be 50,000 words long, it should only take 21 hours to write the entire book. End of story. Math is math.
The fact is, I actually do write this fast. I rarely hesitate. I rarely stare at the screen, wondering what to say. And even if I give myself some slack, and do the math at 2,000 words an hour, it still doesn’t take 6 months. So what is my problem?
I have never suffered from ‘Writer’s Block’. I have never stared at the screen and not known what to type. It is all there. Hundreds of stories just waiting to be set free. My problem is purely procrastination.
I will work, watch TV, eat, sleep, and peruse Facebook all hours of the day, but I won’t sit down and write. And, when I do, it only takes a few minutes to get sucked back in to the distractions Facebook has to offer.
I mean, sit here and let this story free, or watch this adorable baby cry when Say Something comes on the radio? That random woman is rapping in her car and Taylor Swift is sending presents to her fans and I can’t minimize the internet long enough to get a substantial amount of writing done.
I am not the only person who suffers from this problem. Facebook is a trap. So is Pinterest, Twitter, and all the rest of them.
I have to stop getting in my own way, you know? So I am going to do an experiment and see if I can do it. I found this incredible tool while searching Google for applications for procrastinators (there were a LOT of results!) that literally locks you out of your internet connection.
You open the program, set the time limit, and then you are unable to access the internet until the timer is up. What I like about this program is that the only way to turn it off is to restart your computer. You can set the timer for however long you want, but you have to wait until the timer is up to get back online.
That is what I need. I mean, I could just click the WiFi button on my keyboard to turn off my internet, but I could also just turn it back on five minutes later and start looking up instructions on how to groom my cats again.
I think this tool is going to make me a better writer. I need some real discipline, you know? And so do so many writers who are like me. So, to get the tool, go to the website, linked below.
Of course, the full version costs $10, but that is seriously nothing if it helps me actually finish my book!
Download the Freedom Trial
Alicia J. Love
Alicia J. Love is the owner of Lovely Books and an author. She enjoys writing, reading, music, and watching HGTV. She developed a terrible fear of spiders in her late teens and is kind of a nut job in general, but she is honest and caring and dedicates 110% into everything she does. She is currently struggling to sit down and write the fourth novel in her young adult science fiction and fantasy series, The Seven Uniters.
She currently lives and works in Chewelah, WA.
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