“Productive” Procrastination for Writers - Part 2

We’re back for Part 2! Here are five more productive procrastination strategies for writers.

(You can read Part 1 here.)

6. Reading and rereading

Writers have to be readers. It’s how we learn. How we emulate our writer heroes and how we figure out our own voices. You can read books in your genre, books outside of your genre, books about writing, blogs about writing, articles about writing, short stories, poetry, psychology textbooks, cookbooks, fanfiction, almost anything really. You can read new books. You can read classics. You can reread old favorites. Try reading them from the perspective of a writer—analyze their craft, their choices. How did the author make this character likeable? How did they build up the tension to this scene? How does their opening and ending function?

You can also reread your own writing. Sometimes this takes you down a rabbit hole of angst and editing, but sometimes it can be useful. I certainly find myself doing this often (maybe too often). Or you can go back and reread stuff you wrote ten years ago and feel good about how far you’ve come. And who knows, you might even find an interesting idea in those old documents. I did this recently and found things I had completely forgotten about! It was like finally moving a sofa so you can see all the things that were lost underneath, and finding lots of dust bunnies, but also that lucky pen you lost years ago.

7. Editing

I mentioned this briefly above, but sometimes going back to your own work and editing is helpful. Actually, I’ve read lots of writing advice that suggests against editing your first draft while you’re still writing it. Admittedly, I do go back and edit what I’m currently writing, and I can definitely understand why writers advise against it. But you can also edit older works, or if you have multiple works in progress at different stages (outlining vs. drafting vs. editing) you can switch back and forth. Writing and editing require different skill sets and mindsets, so if you’re stuck on writing, editing can be a productive way to still make progress on your work.

8. “Research”

Speaking of rabbit holes. I swear, you look up one simple thing, like “what is a group of magpies called” and then you end up reading about the entire history of witchcraft in Ireland, and you ask yourself: “how did I get here?” but you’ll probably never know. Anyway, research can be incredibly valuable, especially when you’re worldbuilding. While we have a lot of creative freedom as writers, there are some things that need to be factually accurate, or at least based in truth. And you as the writer will need to know more than your reader does—about your world, your characters, and everything really. So doing that research is useful to creating a realistic story that readers can believe and become immersed in.

9. Searching for names

Okay, I love naming characters. I just think it’s fun, even though it can be frustrating and time-consuming to find the perfect fit. You can find name ideas just about anywhere and I’m always on the look out for inspiration. I’ve started keeping a journal just for names, so I can flip through it with a certain character in mind and hopefully find a match. There are also a ton of websites out there with lists of names, often with themes: vintage, nature, popular, etc. Often, these are baby naming sites (no, Google, I’m not having a baby), but I also love sites like Behind the Name that show you the etymology and history of names. You can also search for names by meaning, if, like me, you like your names to have hidden significance to the character.

10. Searching for “inspiration”

I know, this is vague. This could mean anything. What even is inspiration anyway? Where does it come from? How do I get it to answer my calls? If you have the answers, let me know. But there are ways we can seek out that elusive inspiration. It could be reading, taking a walk in nature, meditating, stress-eating chocolate, being creative in other ways (making art or music), playing videogames, going shopping. I guess my point is: it’s okay to take a break. Do other things you enjoy. Go new places. And always keep an eye out. You might just find inspiration in an overheard conversation or an advertisement or a poem on the inside of a chocolate wrapper (true story).

Well, that’s all for now. Hope you enjoy!

Part 3 coming soon!

Stay tuned,

KNB