How to Overcome Procrastination by Sherrinda Ketchersid

I am the world’s worst procrastinator. Seriously, I am. I’ve been procrastinating writing this post by taking the dog out (again), cleaning the kitchen (what?!), and checking my email (for the 100th time today). Can anyone relate?

Procrastination is really just a form of fear.

We fear that our work will not be good enough. We fear that we will be exposed as an “imposter” posing as a writer who knows what she is doing. But if we are honest with ourselves, we would realize we are hardest on ourselves—our own worst critic. I know this is true for me.

Sometimes fear stems from not knowing what to write about. I struggle with this when I’m trying to think of something to blog about. I wonder what I have to say that would be of interest to others. I suppose that is another example of the “imposter syndrome”, but not knowing what to write about can be paralyzing.

How do famous authors combat procrastination? Check out these authors and what they do to get themselves writing:

• Victor Hugo – His procrastination got so bad he stripped and made his servant hide his clothes. This forced him to stay at home and focus on writing.
• Haruki Murakami – He swims 1500 meters every morning to wear out his nervous energy so he can focus on his work.
• Douglas Adams – His procrastination was so bad a friend stayed with him to keep him writing.
• William Gibson – He incorporated naps into his routine so that when he awoke, he would be fresh and ready to write.
• Maya Angelou – She would go to a hotel and have all distractions and stimuli removed from the room so she could focus.
• Friedrich Schiller – He let apples rot in his desk drawer, saying he couldn’t write without the stench.

What can we learn from these authors who found a way to deal with procrastination?

• Do something to get your mind and body able to focus. Whether it is exercising or napping, do what allows your mind to clear and attend to the task at hand.
• Find an accountability partner. I know this helps me when I am under the gun to get a writing project finished. Having to tell someone at the end of the day how much I accomplished is a huge motivator for me.
• Find a new place to write. I know many writers who leave their house to write in a coffee shop, restaurant, or library. This gets them away from the mountain of chores and responsibilities at home.
• Instigate a ritual to signal writing time. For me, I like to light a good smelling candle and have a cup of coffee by my side. This signals my brain to get started and most of the time it works, though if it is a rainy day, I just want to read instead of write.

As a Christian writer, I have found that when I go to God with my procrastination—my fear of not being good enough or not being inspired—He manages to ease the way for me. He has given us the gift of words and we need to fan that gift into flame. As 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

Don’t be timid. Do not be afraid. Don’t let procrastination rule your life. Just write from the heart. Write as you are led. Your words on the page will not be perfect the first go-around, but at least there will be words to work with and polish.

What do you do to combat procrastination? What writing quirks or rituals help you begin writing for the day?

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Lord of Her Heart

He’s fighting for his future—she’s running for her life.

Lady Jocelyn Ashburne suspects something is amiss at her family’s castle because her father ceases to write to her. When she overhears a plot to force her into vows—either to the church or a husband—she disguises herself and flees the convent in desperation to discover the truth.

Malcolm Castillon of Berkham is determined to win the next tournament and be granted a manor of his own. After years of proving his worth on the jousting field, he yearns for a life of peace. Rescuing a scrawny lad who turns out to be a beautiful woman is not what he bargained for. Still, he cannot deny that she stirs his heart like no other, in spite
of her conniving ways.

Chaos, deception, and treachery threaten their goals, but both are
determined to succeed. Learning to trust each other might be the only
way either of them survives.

Sherrinda Ketchersid is a lover of stories with happily-ever-after endings. Whether set in the past or present, romance is what she writes and where her dreams reside. Sherrinda lives in north-central Texas with her preacher husband. With four grown children, three guys and a gal, she has more time and energy to spin tales of faith, fun, and forever love.

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Growing as a Writer Through Critiques by Sherrinda Ketchersid

We have all been there as writers – the place where our work has been marked through with a red pen, shredded, chewed, and thrown out as worthless. Whether it be in contest scores, a writer’s group, or a critique partner, we have experienced the pain of a hurtful critique.

Last year I changed direction from writing historical and attempted to write a YA story. I entered a writing contest and when I received scores back from the judges, I was devastated. Comments like “This does not sound like YA.” and “From a YA perspective, it’s not believable.” really hurt my heart. Out of all the contestants, I ranked next to last. Ouch!

So what is a writer to do? Besides stuffing my mouth with chocolate, I gave the feedback some time to sit, then reevaluated the critiques. You know what? What the judges said was true. My writing was not YA material. I could see their point and was able to embrace their words for what it was…truth.

Things to consider when receiving critiques:

• You want to grow as a writer, so have an open mind. What things can you learn from the suggestions given?
• Has more than one critique pointed out the same problems? If so, consider this a confirmation you need to fix the issue.
• Ask questions and get clarification if you are confused by the critique.
• Remember that writing and reading is subjective. Ultimately, you can choose not to make changes to your story.

Those who critique other people’s work need to learn the best way to offer feedback. I am part of two different critique groups. One group is online and the other is a group that meets together twice a month to read their work aloud for critique. These groups have taught me invaluable lessons in giving construction critiques.

Things to consider when giving a critique:

• Always start off with praise for the good things you find in the other person’s work. This sets the tone for critique and acts as a buffer for the criticism to come.
• Don’t use harsh words. Be considerate and offer suggestions to correct the problem.
• YES: Your dialogue is fantastic and I feel like I’m right there, but I’m pulled out of the scene with the dialogue tags. Instead of using “she yelled”, you could use an action beat that shows her anger.
• NO: You use way too many dialogue tags.
• If there is an issue with plot or scenes not moving forward, help the writer brainstorm ideas to bolster areas that need improvement.
• While you want to be gentle in your critique, you do want to be honest. To give only praise to a new writer won’t make them a better writer. Give constructive criticism to help them improve.

Receiving criticism is not for the faint of heart, but if we want to grow as writers, we need to embrace each and every critique with an open mind. You have asked for feedback, so cull through the critique and learn ways to become a better writer. That is the end goal.

What about you? What have you learned from critiques? How have you grown as a writer from giving critiques? I would love to hear your experiences!

Sherrinda Ketchersid is a born and bred Texan, preacher’s wife, and mother to 4 children. With the children grown and out of the house, she weaves tales of fierce knights and their ladies in a time where men were warriors and women had to be strong enough to keep them in check.

After taking time off from writing, she has returned with a new motto in place to spur her on. “Writers write. Everyone else makes excuses.” Jack Bickham.  No excuses this time. She is weaving her love of romance with history to bring joy and the hope of love to those who may one day read her stories.

Personal blog: Sherrinda.com
Twitter: @sherrinda
Instagram: @sherrinda