Author Eileen Wilks Guest Blog and $25.00 Gift Card Contest LIVE Here!
Top 10 (Internet) Ways to Procrastinate
Writers are world-class procrastinators. (We’re also very fond of making grand, sweeping statements that can’t possibly apply in every instance, but never mind that for now.) And the Internet has revolutionized procrastination. I was reminded of this yet again this morning as I clicked on Facebook links (Stephen Colbert was hilarious, and did you see that one of the cat in the sink?) and checked email –and checked it again―and again–instead of starting any of the three blog posts I was supposed to be writing. This being one of them.
I realize that non-writers use some of the same procrastination techniques we do, but we make a bigger deal about it. Especially fiction writers. Look at the quotes we like to pass around about our craft, such as, “Writing is easy. You just stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.” (Gene Fowler) Hey, if we didn’t like drama, we wouldn’t be writing fiction, right? But the fact is, we do have to wake up and face that damn blank page every day. And it terrifies us. This makes us into procrastinating pros.
So, without further ado―okay, a little more ado―I’m listing my favorite, typical, or sporadic ways waste time on the Internet. I’m posting links, using Tiny Url to make them smaller―you do know about Tiny Url, don’t you? http:// www.tinyurl.com?–and I’m not even going to mention email, Facebook. or Twitter. You already know about the potential there.
Eileen Wilks’s Top 10 (Internet) Ways to Procrastinate
Google “time waster.”
In my current work-in-progress, RITUAL MAGIC, I’m writing a scene about a body found in Balboa Park in San Diego. Naturally I have to Google Balboa Park. I’ve researched it before, but want to refresh my memory. I’m interested in bike trails, so I click on that link, find a pdf map to download, then look at images of bikes trails in the park and wander into a discussion board about a race set on a bike trail there, when I realize it’s ten a.m. and I haven’t written anything yet, but I really need to know more about the flora in the remote areas of the park, so I Google that . . . great pic here: http://tinyurl.com/8kanp4v
8. A friend of mine calls the seemingly irrelevant turns her poetry sometimes takes “snake legs.” I love the term and use it for my seemingly irrelevant Internet wanderings, such as when I Googled “snake legs” just now, which took me to any number of science and creationist sites as well as this lovely translation of the story behind the Chinese idiom about painting legs on a snake: http://tinyurl.com/9f26zpe (I am, of course, convinced that anything I turn up about China, dragons, or wolves isn’t a true time waster, even if it has no obvious relevance to anything I’m writing or plan to write.)
If you Googled “time waster,” did you find Filler? http://tinyurl.com/96ocs82
6. Word Clouds. I can spend hours creating word clouds. I’ve got a mug with the word cloud from one book, and a t-shirt with the word cloud from another one. Waste your own time at http://www.wordle.net
5. I can use up huge gobs of time reading anything about writing or publishing or that’s somehow vaguely, tangentially, connected with books. Like this article about the goofy questions people ask booksellers (http://tinyurl.com/cgnf69p) or this cartoon about summer reading for cats: http://tinyurl.com/8vau9r6
4. Cats, of course, are another great time suck, whether on the Internet or in person. There’s always lolcats.com, but Simon’s Cat (http://www.simonscat.com/Films/) is my favorite.
3. Some of the snake-legs I follow turn out to be useful. Here’s some of the links I found for Mount Hope Cemetery, where the opening scene in Mortal Ties (out Oct. 2) takes place:
general info: http://tinyurl.com/dypkh67
map: http://tinyurl.com/3m2xq8y
pictures: http://tinyurl.com/3dgawz2 and http://tinyurl.com/9hlm3hx (Procrastination alert: this one links to an article with a great image of the entrance to the cemetery, which is mentioned in Mortal Ties . . . and the headline, “Human sacrifice survivor: Boy rescued from graveyard as his dad tries to hack off his arms.” You can see how easy it is to get distracted while doing research.)
2. Pinterist. ‘Nuff said.
1. And the Number One way for any writer to waste time is: checking our rankings at Amazon and Barnes & Noble right after a book is released. With Mortal Ties just out, you can bet I’m losing a lot of time here (Barnes and Noble) and here 
(Amazon.) If you haven’t wasted enough time yet checking out all the other links, please feel free to click on these and order a copy. 
Author Bio:
Best-selling author Eileen Wilks has 24 novels in print plus stories seven anthologies published by Berkley, Silhouette, and St. Martin’s Press. In addition to being a multiple finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s RITA contest, Wilks has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times.
Texas-born Wilks covered a lot of territory before settling in Midland, Texas–Canada, Venezuela, and twelve U.S. cities in five states. She comes by her wandering blood honestly; her great-great grandmother arrived in the state in a covered wagon. She’s wandered professionally as well, having tried her hand at everything from ranch work to waitressing to geophysical drafting. Once she discovered writing, though, she knew she had come home for good.
•¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆
Learn more about Eileen Wilks here:
Read reviews of the author’s work here.
http://www.eileenwilks.com/
https://twitter.com/eileenmwilks
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eileen-Wilks/262221893169
•¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆
LOL – Yeah I hear a lot of authors say that social media is helpful and a bane to their creativity. Helpful that it allows them to “sell” their story out there. A bane because it sucks time they could be spent writing or creating.
For me, easily number 4. The in person stuff, I’d be here forever talking about the distractions. And I’m not even a writer! And I love Simon’s cat! IT is the most hilarious (and stunningly accurate) rendition of what it’s like to own a cat.
And google…I can’t express how many times I was supposed to be ding something, had something else pop in my head and say ‘ooh I should google that!’
I haven’t gotten my hands on Mortal Ties yet, but I am so excited to read this! Have been since I finished the last page of Death Magic!
So after seeing the list of procrastinations, is there something you figured out to do to get yourself back on track. Like maybe a rewrd for yourself every time you finished a chapter or something?
Thanks!
In addition to being a fabulous procrastinator, I’m also calendar-challenged. I had this blog marked down for today, but it went live yesterday. Ah, well . . .
I don’t have any fool-proof ways to end the procrastinating. Mostly it’s just me saying, “Stop that.” But deadlines can be wonderfully motivating, plus once I get towards the end of a book I really can’t stop writing for very long. To refill my coffee, yes. Now and then to sleep. Eating is good. But at the end, I’m being tumbled along by the story like a log in the rapids.
I know your latest short story was for Benedict, but do you have plans for any others? Like maybe a day in the life of the Isen (hint, hint
)?
Oh, now you’ve clicked my “inspire” button. I love the idea of doing an Isen story. If I can find the time–that’s always a trick, because I’m not a fast writer, but now I’ve got an idea involving Isen in my head.
I love your post. You’ve just explained my 23 yr old son to me. I could never figure out why he was such a procrastinator. Now I know – he’s a fantastic writer. Too bad he’s a PhD dude in Biology
. Thank you so much.
vsloboda(at)gmail(dot)com
Can I add some of my procrastinator sites? That keeps me from writing?
1. Deviantart.com But then I follow some damn good artists.
2. Dolldevine.com where you can make your own dolls
3. Tumblr.com
4. Twitter
5. Facebook.
Oh, just what I needed–more procrastination beguilement! (Don’t click that link, Eileen–no, noooo . . . )
I have one of your books in my TBR pile. Since it’s book 2 I haven’t read it because I need the first one. Mortal Danger. Plus I have Vampire Romance 2
Love your procrastination list. Google is like a black hole, once you type the URL it sucks you in. Lol
Love your work!
It sounds good, I’ll have to keep my eye open for it. What are your thoughts on audiobooks? I didn’t see yours available. Will they be?
Abridged audio versions of the series will be available soon–but I don’t have the date yet. Sorry–and thanks for asking.
I can waste a lot of time just on facebook and doing searches.
Eileen, I did not realized you have so many published books. Congrats on your new release. Lately, I have been wasting a ton of time on pinterst. Huge time waster.
Hi,
I think I have done all of those. Great giveaway.
Jenn
Love your list to procrastinate…hmmm, a lot of it sounded familiar. Could it be considered mind exercises?
Thanks for the giveaway chance!
ivegotmail8889@yahoo.com
I love Google. I follow links like it’s going out of style & end up light years away from where I began. I’d be hopeless at specific research. I’d be too distracted.
Hi, I was wondering if you’ve ever met any of the people who have modeled for your covers?
Nope, never have. It would be fun if I could, though.
Do you have any unusual or special talents excluding your storytelling abilities?
I have a ton of hobbies, but I don’t claim any special talent at them. I like to make things. Pillows, oil paintings quilts, gardens, turkey dinner, tiled backsplashes . . .
You woke up this morning and realized you had been reincarnated as a pair of shoes.
Describe yourself.
Pretty sure I’d be boots–scuffed and broken-in and great for stomping through puddles.
YOU are a paranormal character, what is your super power?
thanks for giveaway/contest hop. Love your website.
Is it hard to do research for your books?
I love research. One of the cool things about being a writer is that I can ask perfect strangers all sorts of questions–and they answer me!
The Internet IS a big time-waster, but it must be a huge help to you when doing research. I can easily see, though, how reading one thing can lead to something else that is totally unrelated to what you started out doing!
wow that was funny!
I know how it is I can louse hours just checking my e-mail witch seams to be about 600 new ones a day.I real don’t seam to know how not to subscribe to everything.it’s crazy
I would probably make a great writer because I sure am a great procrastinator!
You’ve got half of it down. The other half to to STOP procrastinating . . .
Lily and Rule! I love to visit Lily and Rule land. Thanks for another great book (even if I did spend too much time worrying about Ruben).
Davida USA
I thought about joining procrastinators anonymous, but never got around to it. That was…hmm…over 30 years ago!
What books are currently on your nightstand?
Young Miles by Lois McMaster Bujold . . . Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King . . . Prey by Linda howard . . . and Creative Quilting.
Vampires, Shifters, Zombies, Angels – who wins the final ultimate battle?
Great procrastination spots. I have tried many of them myself
Hi Eileen,
I have to play catch up some how I missed the last book. Looking forward to it and to this one.
Snake Legs is a great term.
Do you generally set one large or many small goals?
I am all about setting goals. The writing goal I pay the most attention to is my weekly pages goal. My daily pages can vary a lot; the weekly goal lets me know if I get to play on the weekend. (This weekend is about 2/3 work, 1/3 play.)
What do you do to reward yourself when you reach your goals?
With the weekly pages goal, my reward is having play time.
Other goals have different rewards . . . had a long list of errands to run yesterday, and rewarded myself by making B&N my last stop. Books, coffee, and a cranberry bliss bar. Mmmm.
Do you keep track of random plot bunnies as they pop up or do let them run free and grow until you need them?
Oh, I let them run free. They often grow up to be big, bad plot wolves.
there are so many easy ways to procrasinate with the internet! Love your post!
Your list made me chuckle. And, of course, I will be checking out several of the links you posted whenever I need to procrastinate…
My timewasters are people, books, the Internet, and e-mail.
What is your favorite childhood book/series?
Have you ever written fan fiction? For what fandom?
The first things I wrote as a card-carrying adult were Star Trek fan fic stories–though I’m pretty sure the term “fan-fic” hadn’t been invented yet.
If your mind were a house, what would it look like inside?
I can’t believe that I am procrastinating by reading an article about how to procrastinate – I just lost a lot of time, but it was totally worth it
Thanks for the interesting post!
Lol. I can so relate.
Pingback: Escapist Newsletter (Vol 6 Issue 11) | Literary Escapism