By Carmen Cristini Eichman, 4/26/21
I can't believe how long it's been since my last blog. My intention was to write something at least every few months. So what stopped me? Did I procrastinate? I always considered myself somewhat of a procrastinator, putting things off until the last minute, working better under pressure, postponing, postponing, POSTPONING!
Looking back, I realize this term was assigned to me instead of self imposed. I accepted it as factual, but now I'm questioning whether it's true. I don't like the negative connotation associated with it. We all do what's important or necessary first, and we all have different ideas about what takes priority. Makes sense with the limited time we have each day.
A more accurate explanation about how I get things done is by refocusing, not procrastinating. Determining what I want to accomplish and putting it at the top of my list is common sense. I do what I need to do in the order that works best for me. So the reason I haven't been adding to my blog is I wrote my first adult novel, Never Blink, a literary suspense book.
Writing my book took about four months for the first draft, and it's taken over a year to revise and polish it. . . edit, change plots, redefine characters, add meat to the storyline. What a wonderful, yet mentally exhausting, journey! Now I'm researching and querying agents -- the hardest part so far! Who knew that the actual book writing phase was the easiest and quickest part of the process. Therefore, I didn't procrastinate writing my blog but focused on my book (and a few other things!). I made a conscious choice.
So go ahead, shift your attention and refocus but don't let anyone accuse you of procrastinating!