I hit my head on the cupboard door yesterday and I’ve had a headache since. That’s my excuse for not writing on WIP today. Sounds lame, doesn’t it? Well, what’s your excuse? For not writing, I mean. Hitting my head also made me very mad because the head incident made me slightly nauseated and dingy, like when I get a migraine. Why mad? Because now I can’t think straight and therefore, writing on my WIP might be unintelligible. Excuses for procrastinating run the gamut–from the dog who ate the homework to menacing cupboard doors, on the prowl for another skull to crack. Writers know excuses only hurt us in the end (well in my case, the noggin) because unless it’s a real good one, excuses only limit our production, keep us from attaining our goals. Getting mad, on the other hand, often produces good work, where we lay aside self-conscious efforts and focus on what really matters.
Writing Tip for Today: If you must make excuses not to get BIC and write, getting mad is one way to home in on your deepest emotions, thus contributing to honest writing. Or you could just rant and rave until your excuse or your headache goes away. That’s what I’m going to do.