Thursday 24 February 2011

Ten Ways to Put Off Writing Before Breakfast

1) Yoga. V important when you’re about to spend all day at your desk. Even better if you have a pet that likes to join in, as it will help you feel that you aren’t the most ridiculous looking one in the room.

2) Make a cuppa. Well, obviously. No brain can work without tea.

3) Tidy the office/study/studio/workspace. Whilst I’m writing a first draft, everything else in my study tends to get neglected to the point of looking a bit like my niece’s first year undergraduate kitchen on a Sunday morning. So don’t worry; ‘tidy’ merely means create a path through the boxes, cameras, paperwork and guitar so you can get to your desk.

4) Play the guitar. Now you’ve spotted it. Just a quick practice, as it loosens the cogs in your brain and makes you feel creative. Plus it means sitting in the window seat looking out at the sleepy world for a few minutes and ruminating on how lucky you are to work from home.

5) Check emails. OK, the truth is, you’ve probably already done this on your iphone while the kettle was boiling, but it never does any harm to check them again, does it?

6) Update facebook status and twitter status, get slightly distracted by a friend’s new photo album, then update both statuses again as you’ve spent so long checking your friends’ news feeds that you’ve got a whole new 140 characters’ worth of update to share by now.

7) Check your latest book’s Amazon rankings. Come on, admit it. You know you do it.

8) Phone your mum for a catch up. It was far too early to call when you crept smugly through a sleeping household to your study, but as it’s now at least an hour later, she’ll be up.

9) Repeat numbers 2-7, as it’s been so long since you last did them all, it’s about time you did them again.

10) Twiddle thumbs for a few moments, wondering whether to get down to work on your book. Then have a bright idea. Write a new blog entitled ‘Ten Ways to Put Off Writing Before Breakfast!’

Job done!
Dog Yoga

17 comments:

Flowerpot said...

Ah yes Liz I can empathise with all of these - though Molls isn't too good at the yoga. She thinks it means Time for a Game of Tug....!

Terre Britton said...

Hey, swap out the yoga for feeding the cat and you've described me.

Sweet and comical pooch pic; thanks for the smile :)

Terre

Vibeke said...

You missed out the dog walk!
You are so funny Liz - I'm on my fourth cup of tea before getting down to marking (and tempted by the pile of ironing).
Your challenge is to write 500 words before stopping for lunch at 12 xxx

Unknown said...

Wow and I thought I was good at wasting (sorry I mean preparing for writing) time.

Aisha said...

great blog liz, you should do them more often! :)

Liz Kessler said...

Vibeke, I did even better than that. I finished draft one of my new book. Yay!! : )))

I can honestly say I have NEVER been tempted by a pile of ironing.

Ps Did you get your marking done? xxx

Aisha - yes, that's what the publicity folk at Orion keep telling me! I'm going to TRY to do them more often from now on! :)

Vibeke said...

CONGRATULATIONS Well Done Liz!

Marking .... hmmm ... did a little but cleaned my bike and chopped up the Christmas tree ;)

Pat Posner said...

Now we've met on Twitter, thought I'd visit you here. Love the list.
Like Flowerpot's Molls my 2 rough collies would think yoga meant time for a game.

Anonymous said...

What is your latest book about?

Sarah

Anonymous said...

Hi! Any plans for upcoming books? I LOVED all of your other ones!

Liz Kessler said...

Sarah, the next book is about time travel...

Lots of plans for more books after that too! Keep an eye on my website and facebook page to keep up to date with what I'm writing : )

www.lizkessler.co.uk

Anonymous said...

HI Liz I'm a big fan of the Emily Windsnap books, even though I have only read the first one please make the books into a movie, Sincerely, Anna 6th grade

Anonymous said...

Hello Liz! I've read all of the Emily Windsnap books and I really loved them! :) Is Emily going to have a fifth adventure?

Anonymous said...

Please let Aaron with Emily in your fifth book!!!!!!!! <3

Anonymous said...

Poppy is so cute!!! :)

Anonymous said...

IT WAS REALLY CUTE THE FACT THAT EMILY KISSED AARON!! :))

Anonymous said...

I love your book, A Year without Autumn!!! A movie would be awesome :)