Procrastinating, or Taking a Break?

(Irony alert: I’m aware that the very act of writing this blog entry could be one or the other—or both.)

We writers feel it all the time—those spells where we can’t sit still, butt in chair, cranking out wordcount.

Maybe we’ve been productive for hours, or days, or weeks, and we’ve got the piles of laundry, the empty larder, and hallelujah, the pages to show for it. Maybe we’re struggling with an idea that won’t take shape, and all we’ve got is bags under our eyes and a gnawing in the stomach.

Either way, we could find ourselves hitting that wall of “I’m done.” We find ourselves unable to write another word. We’re afraid we’ll never write again. We’ve used it up. We’ve got nothing more to say.

Well, of course, that’s horse-pucky.

We’re writers, dammit. We write. It’s our particular neurosis. If we didn’t have writing to get the voices out of our heads, we’d be certifiable. Yet even the self-treatment for this condition can be too much. We need a break from what gives us a break.

So what is a “good” break, and what is a “bad”?

In my observation, procrastinating is what happens when you’re not feeling it. Do some research, take a shower, have a decent meal, and get writing.

Taking a break is for when you’re feeling it too much. Put the work-in-progress away for a while. Re-engage with real life. Clear your head.

It can feel like this:

All the words I’ll ever generate have already spewed out of me. The ideas coming today are bilge, a mere trickle of insignificance from what was once a mind-blowing stream of world-changing art. [You need a break.]

Or it can feel like this:

There’s so much to think about. Life is distracting, shiny, annoying, or in my face. Multiple influences are pulling at me, and I can’t clear my mind enough to write until I take care of them. [You’re procrastinating! None of that is important! Write!]

You’re procrastinating if:

1. The contents of your refrigerator haven’t changed in five hours, but you’ve checked five times.
2. That snag on your fingernail has to be clipped right now.
3. Something about that bookshelf just isn’t right.
4. You know a follower/fan/friend/subscriber has just retweeted/liked/posted/commented, and you don’t want to miss it.
5. Archiving emails one by one is suddenly attractive.

You’re taking a break if:

1. The sun is on your face and the wind is in your hair.
2. You finish an entire book of reading for fun.
3. The kids or the dog or your spouse get actual physical attention.
4. You notice what’s playing at the local multiplex.
5. You call some loved ones across country and talk about what they’re up to, rather than your WIP.

One final discriminator: Procrastinating adds to your tension; taking a break relieves it. You’re procrastinating if you keep whining, “I should write,” and you’re taking a break if you’re confident that some time, soon, “I will write.”

Which is it today?

Tagged as: Writing How-To