Thursday, June 26, 2008

Things I've done today to avoid writing

I'm too deep into my new novel now to step back, which means the writing is often hallucinatory, wonderful, painful, nervewracking, all culminating in my "should I hve become a dentist/psychologist, instead" frame of mind. I did write for three hours, but then, instead of writing more, I did the following:

1. Made chocolate vegan cupcakes using expensive chocolate. Too sweet, threw them out.
2. Looked at every stupid gossip site online, marveling at the moments when I was actually moved and/or upset, even when Jeff said, "Listen, they're celebrities. They're not like us. Don't take these things about them personally."
3. Googled the names of authors I adore. (This includes images, too. Don't ask me why.)
4. Googled the names of authors I don't adore. Also included images.
5. Googled my own name. Obsessively.
6. Organized our closet and our drawers. Realized 90 percent of my clothing is black.
7. Worried that the new novel isn't about anything, and then worried that its about too much.
8. Finished an absolutely incredible novel that I plan to review.
9. Thought about my novel some more.

Sigh. And alas. Anyone got a plan?

6 comments:

Gina Sorell said...

Caroline this made me laugh!! I have no plan...I just spent the last three hours surfing the web, writing e-mails, researching blogs and finally designing my own. I still figuring out what to do with my blog...but I know that I have to have one...and so now I do. It's Sorell Says...and you are on it :-)

Clea Simon said...

I spent most of the afternoon shopping and cooking and then getting into a bad mood because it's too hot andmuggy to cook, so I yelled at my husband because I do all the house stuff -- even though I was the one who volunteered to bring dinner to our friends' house on Saturday and decided I would do all the shopping and cooking today. Had a good cry, that helped. Got no writing done though.

Jeff Lyons said...

C:

Soooo... what's your point? Sounds like a typical writer's day to me.

J :)

Anonymous said...

Your post made me laugh!!! I am not a writer. However, I have done some of the things on your list to avoid housework.

Allison Winn Scotch said...

Ha! Hey Caroline, I just found your blog and wanted to post that your day - complete with obsessive celeb website checking - sounds exactly like mine. :) I'll be adding this to my daily reading. (And not just because it's a good way to procrastinate!)

Kass said...

What a relief to know I'm not the only one wasting my time googling everything under the sun and reading blogs. Sorell -I think I might start my own blog too- I bet it will help to inspire me to write write write my novel some more and/or memoir.