1000 Hours of Writing: 140 - 160 Hours
Back in the olde days of 2016 I wondered if I could manage to clock the next 20 hours before the new year. This was important. After all, you don't want to fall into the new year with open tasks - never mind that my room is still full of rubbish.1000 Hours of Writing Update: reached 140 hours today. Let's see if I can manage the next 20 before the new year. #amwriting #fingerscrossed— Susanne (@floralcars1) 18. Dezember 2016
Thank you, thank you very much! I'd like to thank the academy, and my family. Of course, everyone who has believed in me. I'd love to say that it was bitter determination that had spurred me on, that I was so excited to reach this goal. While that was true at the beginning and the middle bit, it had not been true during the end. Still, when I look at my crossed out boxes, I notice that I collected most hours in the last three days of the year.
How did I manage this? After all, rather than typing three words I decided to do many other things instead. After opening the word document, I went on YouTube to check out a car advertisement that involved sheep. This became so bad that at one point I had to turn on the flight mode on my laptop. Nothing can distract me now! But something could ... something always can. I am well aware that this is commonly known as procrastination. It is especially findish when it is "only" a hobby. Then you tend to be more relaxed about "deadlines" or "publishing dates." While I debated before how you can beat it, I think I finally found the perfect cure. It is going to stop every author, blogger, fanfiction writer from ever missing any deadline:
You see, on the 31st I had to finish the last hours. I sat down with a nice drink, ready to type words and make them into sweet, sweet fluff. Then, a fluff sat down on me. This was my cat. I argued before that he might be the downfall of writing but at the same time he helps me to type faster because of the constant fear that he will unexpectedly flop down on the keyboard.
This time I sat on the desk - like a professional - so that my glass of Rosé wouldn't be knocked over - like I said - then Sir Cat thought my lap was good for sitting on. Since my laptop was in flight mode, and I was pinned down, I had to write. After all it is again the law to push a fluffy animal off one's person. Instead I decided to make more fluff.
From that event I learn that what every author needs to battle procrastination is simple:
- desk
- flight mode
- phone on the other side of the room
- clingy cat
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