i was going about things all wrong.
first, i had twitter open. second, i had been listening to THE SCORPIO RACES by maggie stiefvater. third, i also had the book open on my desk as i perused it trying to turn it into a textbook because i can’t stop thinking about it and i’m basically in love with it and all that it does.
you might say i’m slightly obsessed.
this wasn’t the problem.
the problem was that by studying/reading/looking at another book, my focus had shifted away from my own work. even though i had the best of intentions when opening THE SCORPIO RACES (i.e. wanting to learn), it’s way too easy to compare my writing to the masterfulness of that novel and clearly, that’s not fair.
and then the downward spiral of self-doubt began, which is NOT the brain space you want to be in when revising your work.
but before i closed THE SCORPIO RACES, i, of course, turned to twitter to voice my opinion BECAUSE EVERYBODY NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK.
with the mystery of publishing revealed, i closed THE SCORPIO RACES and twitter. i read sean ferrell’s “pathetic email” post for the tenth time because it’s uplifting and spot on and exactly the right motivation i needed to dive back into my edits because it’s time to whip this WIP into shape.
now if only my neighbor had a cat…
Abigail Mumford 
I’m having similair issues with my WIP. I’ve reached the three quarter mark, know exactly how it will end, but am loathe to pull my characters out of the doldrums they are currently mired in, so I keep letting myself get distracted. it’s surprisingly easy, too. bad karla.
it’s a weird situation for me to be in because i’ve never been a procrastinator before. i’ve never really avoided work before but my perfectionistic side is winning. i want to make sure everything is perfect and awesome and smooth and that is sort of debilitating me.
one word at a time, mumford. one word at a time.
LOL! Poor kitty. Alas, we all do what we have to do. ;)
i was so surprised (a) that she answered and (b) did so with such a silly response. as if i didn’t like her already, bonus points for her!
and bonus points for you, grimes, for always understanding the tone of my blog posts. i can always count on you.
I love that conversation!
I’m sure you’ll find something in TSR to help you in your own writing that does not involve sacrificing a kitten! :) Maggie also eats a lot of cookie dough — now that seems easier! :)
i was wondering when you were going to read this post. i KNEW the maggie convo would be too much for you to resist commenting. :)
also, eating cookie dough? now there’s a writing habit i can get on board with.
Hehe :) I read it on Friday but didn’t have time to comment! Cookie dough FTW.
Well THANK YOU for stopping by twice!