By Dana Diamond
Excuses are like…well, you know…everybody has one and they all stink. Need I say more?
I have many, in fact…excuses, that is.
I’ll list them, not to make excuses, but, rather, to show you that I have them should I choose to use them…and so you know I’m not some “princess†with a housekeeper eating bon bons, lunching with ladies who…lunch, lounging by the pool, exercising when I feel like it and writing when inspiration strikes.
In addition to my day job (that’s really a 24/7 job) and family obligations, this year, I’m taking on a lot of new challenges:
– Secretary of Orange County’s chapter of RWA
– Writing a monthly article for Orange Blossom
– Weekly blog articles (for your viewing pleasure)
– Contributor to The Writer’s Vibe
And those are just the new professional challenges. I’m also killin’ myself on the treadmill every night after a full day of work, trying to rid myself of the muffin-top I acquired this holiday season. (I’m not vain, well, okay, I’m a little vain. But it’s also for health reasons and, frankly, I like being able to buy my clothes in the kids section. It’s cheaper.)
Anyway, on top of those new challenges I’ve added another book a year to my schedule. So…every single thing I listed keeps me from my goal of writing two books this year (instead of the one I wrote last year).
Still, I write. And I’m on track to finish.
So, I challenge you to stop making excuses. I’ll even help. Here’s a list of excuses and ways to combat them. I give you Dana’s Reasons Why Not…
1. My back hurts – Take an aspirin and get a heating pad.
2. My wrists hurt – Get iVoice or Dragon Naturally Speaking
3. My eyes hurt – Get some glasses or the above mentioned voice programs
4. I have to work – Write at lunch
5. I have kids – Write during naps and/or school.
6. I have to clean my house – Boring women keep clean houses.
7. School, kids, and work – Write one page a day. (Anybody can do that!)
8. Aliens abducted me – Surely they have a recording device you can speak into!
9. Stuck in traffic – Get a digital voice recorder and transcribe your work on weekends
10. I have stomach flu – This one may fly, but I admit, I once actually considered dragging my laptop onto the bathroom floor with me so I could write in between retch sessions.
11. I have a computer job and am too tired of looking at a computer in the evenings and on weekends. – Write longhand.
12. I have ten kids and a husband who doesn’t support me. – Divorce him and put your older kids to work for you. (Okay, for the record, I’m not in that position and that does seem harsh…even to my heartless soul.)
13. I’m exhausted – Leave you’re laptop on all night and write until you fall asleep and resume when you wake up at 4 a.m. (What? You don’t do that already?)
14. I’m training for the Olympics – An hour a day, that’s all I ask.
15. But I’m Michelle Kwan – You’re going to win anyway!
Now I ask you, what are your Reasons Why Not? If you post them, I’ll help you beat them.
Warmest Regards,
Dana Diamond
PS I wrote this last night. Today, I was chatting with my mentor about when I was going to get back to my YA that she’s been reading along as I write and was left dangling for a few weeks now. (Oh, the shame.) The story’s suspenseful and I’m leaving her on cliff-hangers, so she’s, understandably, a little ticked.
So, I give you a few new excuses…and how my mentor shot them down for me. (Oh, the hypocrisy!)
Mentor – “When am I going to see that next chapter?â€
Me – “I have to finish the final copy of the interview I just did, and then I need to transcribe the minutes from the board meeting this weekend, and then I have a critique project, but I’ll probably finish that by the end of this week and then I’ll—â€
Mentor – “Dana, you can do one page a day.â€
(Dude, I hate it when she’s right! Love you, Mentor!)
PPS I am still on track, damnit!
Dana Diamond is the OCC/RWA Secretary, contributor to the Orange Blossom Newsletter and The Writer’s Vibe Blog.
http://www.danadiamond.blogspot.com/
http://www.thewritersvibe.typepad.com/
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Thanks Gillian, but I don’t know how wise I am…After writing my comment, I realized Mary was talking about my mentor! How embarrassing! 🙂
But I love it when someone more experienced and wiser than me (ahem…you!) shares her precious time and wisdom with me. Thank you.
And good luck with the page a day!
🙂 d
Dana-oh-wise-one, I hate it when someone who is wiser than me is also YOUNGER than me. 😉 Great blog! Your work ethic puts me to shame. My new mantra: “I will write one page a day.”
I love when someone wiser than me thinks I’m wise. 😉
I hate when someone wiser than me shoots down my excuses … fudgesicle!
Mary