Everyone knows something that only they know.

Maybe it's something small. Maybe it's that your sister likes her peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches cut in triangles and won't eat them in squares. Maybe it's that she doesn't like them at all. Maybe you know that if you flick your ear, you'll laugh.

And maybe it's something bigger. Admittedly, the bigger your knowledge is, the more likely someone else knows it too. Maybe you discovered a way to make coffee strong, but without actually using as much coffee. Maybe you wrote a song that brings your mother to tears each and every time she hears it.

You know things. And some things you know really well, like how to do a back flip or play guitar.

Because every person is different.

Isn't that cool? *cue the geek-out moment*

Let's all just think about that for a second. Think about how many people there are in the world. As if there aren't a TON in the world right this second, there have been billions and trillions of people in the past.

Yet we are all, each and every one of us, different. And we all know different things, some that only we are aware of.

Isn't that just ... cool?

Where am I going with this?

Well.

Aside from this being just a super DUPER cool fact, I am here to announce something to you today. People are different and know things, and writers are the same way. We writers know tricks and secrets to this craft we have embraced and are striving to perfect.

And there's not a lot of stuff that only you'll know and no one else will. (you know what your main character would do if a flying antelope asked her to climb trees and eat star fruits, but that's not super relevant for other writers)

But maybe there's an area of writing/art that you specifically enjoy. One that you thrive in. Maybe you're super amazing with character backstories or motives. Maybe you love world building (*cheers on all my fellow worldbuilders*) Or maybe you have a bit of encouragement to offer the world when it comes to writing. Encouragement that isn't really out there.

It's time to share it.

Whether you have a blog or not, it doesn't matter. You have an opportunity to share what you know and love with other writers all over the world, and help each other grow.

It's called Project Canvas.

ISN'T IT JUST BEAUTIFUL???? *swoons*

Ehem. *is professional again*

This is a project that my lovely fren Caroline Meek created. I met Caroline at the Minneapolis Young Writers Workshop last year, and she is a fantastic and creative and inspiring human and I am so excited and honored to be working with her! And you can too.

It's so simple. You pick a topic from the topics page on the website and email Caroline or Olivia about it. Then you write a one to three page article (basically a blog post.) and submit it to them, along with your bio.

It's so simple and easy. And it's a great way to get your name into the writing community.



I wrote an article for this called, What Does it Mean to be a Writer? and it is so close to my heart. It's something I wrestled with for several years and is surprisingly absent from the writing world. I don't see many articles about it. But I know everyone, at some point, doubts themselves, and wonders if they really have what it takes to be a writer. If they even are a writer at all.

I address it in this book, and I'll also give you some thoughts on world building (not sure what area I'm going to write about yet). So please get involved with this book! I wrote a message I want people to hear, and I don't want you guys to miss it. And, what's more, I want to hear what you have to say about your writing experiences.

Having doubts? Please don't.

Do you think you don't have anything to offer us? Any advice to share, any wisdom to contribute?

Well, sorry but ...

You're wrong.

You know something about this writing thing we do. Maybe you know how it feels never to finish a book and have encouragement to offer in that area. Maybe you know what it feels like to be alone in your writing, and have advice for people struggling with the same thing.

Or maybe it's something factual. Maybe you're a pro at backstories and have a formula you've developed that makes the whole process smoother and more efficient. *looks at a certain cousin of mine* Maybe you found a simple way to make maps and want to show other writers.

It can be anything. (writing related, of course.) You have knowledge and wisdom.

Will you join us?

I was pondering what I should write about today, and after starting several posts and losing my train of thought/drinking tea/scribbling random things in journal/trying to find a word to play against my dad in Lexulous/why, what an amazing world this is we live in/what do you think souls are made of?/if we didn't need to breathe do you think we could and would live underwater?/what if our eyes were on our elbows?/and how about I go get some popcorn and coffee at 2 A. M. because that's a wonderful idea.

Ehem.

...what was I talking about?

OH LOOK LEGOS LET'S GO PLAY WITH THEM FOR FIVE HOURS

*actually procrastinated for an embarrassing amount of time while "trying to find a cover picture" for this post*

Do you struggle with sudden bouts of opera singing? Do you grapple with the ever present pull of Pinterest, or the jaws of Tumblr? (I don't actually have a tumblr but I hear it's highly addictive.) Do you find your concentration and determination slipping at the sight of a good book, your will power crumbling at the faintest whiff of fresh coffee being brewed, which reminds you that you need to go and get a mug of it before it gets cold and-oh look, the piano. You really need to practice ... and oh look, a flower. Let's go outside and frolic in the green for a couple of hours and ponder the deep questions of life and existence and humanity.

Procrastination is a problem for ... dare I say everyone? Let's be safe and say most people - cause everyone is different and some strange beans out there might have the ability to stay on track always because they have lots of self control which I don't understand but THAT'S AWESOME and I'm jelly. A jelly dohnut.

And these, ladies and gentlemen, are what my thought trains look like.

Now that you've read a very procrastination-y intro, I will deliver to you my usual prime quality and top notch blog post, this one on procrastination.

*snaps into productivity mode*

There are ways you can fight procrastination, and it might not be as hard as you think. The first one I've already given to you.

This is very important. If you want to get stuff done, you have to sit down and say, "I'm going to get stuff done today." I don't know about you, but it's very easy for me to get distracted. I could spend an hour staring at the wall or sprawled out on the floor staring at the ceiling and thinking. My thoughts are so loud, I am deceived into thinking that I'm actually doing something or talking to someone, when really I'm just sitting there. Staring. And doing absolutely nothing.

But if I've told myself, "Alright, Hannah. You're going to sit here and write this blog post." Then part of my mind clings to that task. When I do get distracted looking for a cover photo and trailing off to look at possible cover pictures for my third book, that part of my brain tugs me back and says, "Remember, you're supposed to be writing a blog post. And you want to edit tonight too, and you have to go to bed at a sane hour so you really need to get this done."

It's much easier to stay on task when that little voice is in there reminding you. But that voice will only come if you put it there in the first place, by thinking through what you want to accomplish.

Otherwise, what do you have to get distracted from?


You can't get distracted by what you don't have. If it's something online, put your phone on airplane mode or turn your wi-fi off. If you have your music online, then just close the browser. To keep me on track one time, I pulled up a picture of a scary looking Gandalf captioned, YOU SHOULD BE WRITING. WHY ARE YOU NOT WRITING. so that every time I pulled up Pinterest I saw that instead of enticing pictures of pretty pathways and intriguing settings.

It worked.

But don't deny yourself of procrastination completely. Instead,

If you sat down to write a chapter, and you write a chapter with lots of spare time, reward yourself. Don't say, "Oh well now I can write A WHOLE OTHER CHAPTER LET'S DO IT." That'll just wear you out. Instead, let yourself get on Pinterest for a bit. Set a timer so it stays a reward and doesn't turn into procrastination.

This kind of ties back to the first point I made.

Right now, I'm writing this post. But I'm also hiding from my WIP cause I'm not sure what's going to happen. Rather than keep hiding, however, I will sit down after I'm done here and get my notebook and think things through and write it out. I get so much done when I know where I'm going with the scene and what needs to happen to get there.

But there's a flipside to this one.


Say you don't know how the scene is going to go. Yes, that's going to make it harder, but that doesn't mean you should just pout and go burn eight hours on Pinterest. Write anyway. It doesn't have to be perfect. It can't be perfect. It can only be really, really good, and that comes after a lot of drafts when you probably won't be having this particular issue anyway.

Just write it out.


Every bean is different. Thus, every bean has different weaknesses and strengths. Find your weaknesses so you can be wary of them, and work on them. And find your strengths so you can take advantage of them.

If procrastination is something you struggle with, find different ways to treat yourself. Ways that work best for you. Writing is such a deeply personal thing. Find your groove, your style. Find yourself in what you love to do, and strengthen it.



I hope this gave you some ideas for how to beat the procrastination bug. Further prescriptions to various diagnoses may come in the future, but due to the spontaneity of the writer, they cannot be promised. You might get a post on Holding onto Your Story next week, or you might get a post about wombats.

We'll see.

Do you struggle with staying on the task at hand? What are some tricks/tips you've learned that help?

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was eleven years old, and she loved to read. She also loved to play make-believe with her siblings. They made up all sorts of games in their backyard (creating worlds was her favorite) and always had a lot of fun running from savages, swinging across deadly, bubbling lava to get healing water and cheese burgers from the Supply Tree, and making giant stew for the folk in the kingdom of the clouds.