tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post210106115239184386..comments2024-03-29T05:45:39.184-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Best Ever Excuses for Not WritingDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-58133630224466352762020-02-06T11:13:33.532-07:002020-02-06T11:13:33.532-07:00Thank you, Ann. I confess the only reason I know a...Thank you, Ann. I confess the only reason I know all those excuses for not writing is that I've used every one of them. Pat Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004933270844397256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-85453938992638994522020-01-28T19:52:11.297-07:002020-01-28T19:52:11.297-07:00Wow... great post! And boy, you really nail those ...Wow... great post! And boy, you really nail those excuses--I've seen (and experienced) them all! "Just write" is the best advice one can take...Ann Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05422047704540904303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-5661550490581713802020-01-25T15:16:16.739-07:002020-01-25T15:16:16.739-07:00Maryann, that discipline is why you've had suc...Maryann, that discipline is why you've had such a great writing career. I admire you!Pat Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004933270844397256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-80882252396095487932020-01-25T15:15:33.940-07:002020-01-25T15:15:33.940-07:00William, you sound like me. I love my little offic...William, you sound like me. I love my little office where I write, but I always get these great ideas just when I'm drifting off to sleep. So I keep a notebook and pen next to my bed. The only trouble is, I apparently write these notes either in Sanskrit or a completely heretofore unknown language, because much like your notes, they are indecipherable by any means. I don't think even the NSA with all its computer power could help.Pat Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004933270844397256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-83090593392303535862020-01-25T15:13:36.092-07:002020-01-25T15:13:36.092-07:00Patricia, I will arm wrestle you for that Procrast...Patricia, I will arm wrestle you for that Procrastination title! I, too, am determined to make this the year when I stop procrastinating and get back to writing. Pat Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004933270844397256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-1659902213688009712020-01-25T15:12:32.952-07:002020-01-25T15:12:32.952-07:00Polly, you WILL finish this novel. You WILL. I und...Polly, you WILL finish this novel. You WILL. I understand the editing as you write problem. It's something I do. So I have a bunch of novels with the first few pages shining like jewels, and the rest is a disorganized mess! Pat Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004933270844397256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-38236078821090856002020-01-25T15:10:59.475-07:002020-01-25T15:10:59.475-07:00Larry, thank you for your comment. You're the ...Larry, thank you for your comment. You're the kind of disciplined writer I want to be. When I was working as a journalist, I wrote like you do, every single day, and my productivity was great. <br /><br />Once I decided to try my hand at fiction rather than non-fiction, I lost my mojo somewhere along the way. It may well be that I am just one of those writers who has non-fiction conquered but struggles with fiction. Pat Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004933270844397256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-40364504846680760332020-01-25T15:08:26.789-07:002020-01-25T15:08:26.789-07:00Thank you, Linda. I wrote the post to encourage my...Thank you, Linda. I wrote the post to encourage myself to stop the excuses and get back to writing. Pat Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004933270844397256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-44460234749443982972020-01-24T10:39:43.308-07:002020-01-24T10:39:43.308-07:00Great post, Pat. J.K. is an inspiration to all of ...Great post, Pat. J.K. is an inspiration to all of us that writing can happen anywhere. When I was writing around my 5 kids, I wrote on the sofa with a notebook because a kid was napping in the room where I had a small desk. I wrote at the kitchen table because hubby wanted to watch TV in the living room. <br /><br />You are right in saying that if you have a burning passion to write, you will write anywhere. And forget waiting for the muse. Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-60943210950215478442020-01-23T13:23:35.252-07:002020-01-23T13:23:35.252-07:00If I have a perfect place to write, it's our u...If I have a perfect place to write, it's our upstairs office. That's where my computer is.<br /><br />That said, I always walk around with a notebook. my problem is often times whatever I jot down, I need to send out to the CIA or NSA for decryption because I can't read it myself.William Ablanhttps://williamablan.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-21299698611717309522020-01-23T11:27:34.130-07:002020-01-23T11:27:34.130-07:00I have always considered myself a champion of proc...I have always considered myself a champion of procrastination, but 2020 is the year to overcome that bad habit. As Larry said above, one needs to be "just determined."Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-36156963157869540792020-01-23T10:17:08.941-07:002020-01-23T10:17:08.941-07:00Great post, Pat. We all have lame excuses. My prob...Great post, Pat. We all have lame excuses. My problem is I edit as I write, and no paragraph is perfect enough, so I spend most of my time rewriting. I keep saying I'm going to write a simpler novel, but the work in progress in my most complicated yet. I will finish it, I will finish it, I will... At 95K words, I'd better.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-39462670526938891502020-01-23T06:48:54.711-07:002020-01-23T06:48:54.711-07:00It's a profession. If you're a professiona...It's a profession. If you're a professional, you show up for the job--every morning. As a freelance journalist and a novelist, I make it habit and write a minimum of 1000 words every morning at least 5 days a week. If the juices are flowing, it could climb to 5-6k. Over the last 13 years I have had 13 full-length novels published and two collections of short fiction. Am I prolific? No, just determined; some might say disciplined. You have to want it enough to overcome barriers of all kinds, including excuses.<br /><br />--Larry Constantine (pen name, Lior Samson)Larry Constantine (Lior Samson)https://www.amazon.com/Lior-Samson/e/B004KDPO9Anoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-70036392790234063182020-01-23T06:00:54.436-07:002020-01-23T06:00:54.436-07:00Wow! You've told it exactly like it is. What a...Wow! You've told it exactly like it is. What an inspirational post, Pat! It's better than a shot of adrenaline to overcome whatever excuses threaten to strangle our work in progress or the one waiting in the wings for its time on the stage.Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.com