Tag Archives: time management

The Tibetan Book of the Dead weighs in on Procrastination

“O procrastinating one, who thinketh not of the coming of death, Devoting thyself to the useless doings of this life, Improvident art thou in dissipating thy great opportunity; Mistaken, indeed, will thy purpose be now if thou returnest empty-handed (without … Continue reading

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“You can’t step in the same writing block twice.”

The obscure Greek philosopher Heraclitus never said  ”You can’t step in the same writing block twice,” but if he had, I would be in complete agreement with him. In my twenty years of assisting authors with writing productivity problems, the … Continue reading

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Henry Miller outdoes God with his “Commandments” for writing

Henry Miller’s commandments for his work schedule are listed in the edited book, Henry Miller on Writing,( pg 161).  God’s more famous list of commandments were intended for all of Moses’ flock to obey, but Miller’s apply to him alone. They … Continue reading

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Norman Mailer’s writing rule: Don’t stiff your unconscious

Here’s what Norman Mailer says in his book about writing, The Spooky Art: “The rule is that if you say you are going to write tomorrow, then it doesn’t matter how badly you’re hungover or how promising is a sudden … Continue reading

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Don’t know what to do next? Do the hardest thing first. Write.

Decisions, decisions, decisions….when will it all end? Never, as far as I can tell. We are decision making machines who have to constantly choose between multiple competing priorities, as well as maintain our energy levels with food, sleep and RockStar … Continue reading

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THE END IS NEAR!! It might be a good idea to write every day until then…

Some people say the ancient Mayan calendar predicts a 2012 end to the world. That’s not so far off anymore. I’m fairly certain you don’t want to be caught at the apocalypse with your novel, screenplay, poetry collection or memoir … Continue reading

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Rip Van Winkle writing habits – How long does it take to change them?

Rip Van Winkle was a rather lazy procrastinator who went to sleep for twenty years. When he awoke the world had changed. This can happen to any of us. No two writer’s block problems are identical, and neither are their … Continue reading

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What counts as “productive writing?”

Sometimes I’m asked this question by writers seeking to evaluate their progress. They are wondering if email writing, research reading and note-taking, making an outline, sitting and thinking about the piece, free-writing or warmup writing should count as part of … Continue reading

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Satan lurks where the Internet perks

The keyboard and screen have been a huge advance and timesaver for writers. The ease of editing, the immediate access to online information and research, the speed of submitting and communicating, all contribute to making our literary lives flow better. … Continue reading

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Don’t let this happen to you! 1)Procrastination, 2) writing binge, 3) axe murder

The Shining is a good “scared straight” movie for writers engaged in the procrastination/binge cycle. Jack Nicholson portrays a school teacher who takes a caretaker job at a closed resort in the mountains because he wants lots of free time … Continue reading

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