Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Random Junk

With a pile of TBR books roughly 150 high, I gotta wonder why in the world I'm currently in a re-reading mode. The last three books I've picked up have been ones from my keeper shelf. I mean, I have books such as Private Demon and Dark Lover that I'm itching to start, just to name two off the top of my head. So why am I working through some old Brockmann categories and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series?

I have no idea.

Comfort, maybe. This time of year, when the weather turns crisp and the leaves start to tumble, there's something appealing about curling up with a great read. Those keepers are keepers for a reason, because they never fail to make me feel great. It's like catching a favorite movie running on TNT or TBS on a Sunday afternoon. You just can't help but stop and watch.

The Brockmanns I can chalk up to a need to read in the mode of which I'm writing. Kind of like preparing the palate for a good meal, if you will.

The Sisterhood books are a direct result of my renting the DVD of the movie (dang, what a three-hanky movie!) and a need to refresh my memory as to what happens next to these characters.

I imagine I need to get reading out of my system since I do plan to participate in NaNoWriMo and want nothing to distract me from writing. I'm lucking out in that my TV watching will be reduced by one hour after Over There airs its season finale episode next week. And I've officially given up Desperate Housewives. I liked the show and have every epi from this season TiVoed, but I have no drive to watch them. That's telling, isn't it?

I've been following avidly the bloggers of late like Steph Tyler and PBW and Alison Kent who have been discussing ways to increase productivity. My problem isn't so much needing ways to increase productivity but more so ways to stop procrastinating. I need that giant shove to find the momentum to get going more than I need ways to keep the momentum going. I'm not the train in the middle of the hill, struggling to make it to the top. I'm the train sitting at the bottom of the hill, struggling to make a start.

Alison also touched on something that I've discovered is true about myself. When I'm engaged in other creative activities, my need and desire to write diminishes. It's as if I have a limited quantity of creative juices, and if I direct them someplace other than on the page, there is nothing left. Right now I'm on the home stretch of Halloween costume making, so writing falls to the way side. That's a big no no, I know. I've tried to limit myself to costume making when the kids are around and writing when they aren't.

So, yeah, I'm in a big time wasting mode. Need to get out of it right quick. November is looming.

No comments: