G is for Getting Myself to Write

Getting myself to write is a complicated task, fraught with subtle psychological manipulation, and snacks.

First I need 9 or 10 hours of sleep because I have the metabolism of a sloth.  7 or 8 hours just do not cut it.

I don't drink coffee, so I'm not one of those writers who camps out in a cute coffee shop, downing cappuccinos and pecking feverishly at my laptop.  Caffeine gives me paralyzing ADD.  Not the hyper kind--the literally paralyzing kind where you're bombarded by so many random, bizarre thoughts that you barely even realize you've been staring at a wall for the past ten minutes without moving.

Once I've awoken without the aid of coffee, I plop down in front of my laptop with a bowl of cereal and good intentions, only to spend 45 minutes checking Facebook, reading other people's blogs, and answering e-mails.  Well, reading e-mails and deciding to answer them later.  With that out of the way, I decide I've been sitting at my desk too long and resolve to begin my day in earnest now.

Convinced I'll be able to concentrate more on writing if I burn off some pent-up energy, I take a walk.

 

 

After my walk, I need to rest for a while.

Then I need a snack, because I can't be expected to write while my blood sugar is low.  And while I'm eating, I might as well watch something entertaining on the Internet.

Then one of our cats curls up in my lap, and I watch another hour of Internet TV because he's napping and I don't want to disturb him.

Finally, I get burned out on whatever I'm watching and decide I actually do feel like writing now, so I reach over the cat and poke awkwardly at my keyboard*.

It's amazing I manage to accomplish anything at all.

*Actually, that's only true part of the time.  When I'm writing a long post, I write in a notebook first and then type it.  As a matter of fact, that's what I did with this post!

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