The real problem though is that I can't write unless I'm playing hooky. I never skipped school, was a dutiful student, yet when it comes to writing if you give me a studio, unlimited time, and one thing to work on, I'll dither. But if I have something else to do, I'll work like mad on the forbidden one, the adulterous project.
When I began my book blog, I thought that one of the benefits would be the injection of a bit of discipline into my writing life. In fact, I think the blog has often served as the forbidden project. I can't help but note that over the holidays when I felt less pressure to write other things I didn't blog either.
Of course I don't just blog to procrastinate. And it seems that I also procrastinate about blogging. I've now missed the agreed upon date to post my thoughts on Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold by more than a week. I had read the book and thought about the book before December 18th, but somehow didn't manage to collect my thoughts into a blog post on the appointed day. I will chime in on that discussion soon, I promise.
9 comments:
We must devise a bibliabolical penalty for any Slave who misses the appointed date.
Oh dear. I was afraid of that. The worst I can think of is not being allowed to read anything else until the post is posted, but if I had that sort of discipline I wouldn't be in this mess! Still, I'm hoping that the "better late than never" principle applies here.
Yes, I'm with Kate.
Have either of you experienced late-poster's guilt? I sure have. It's the same feeling I have when I haven't phoned my mother for a week, or paid off my VISA bill. In my books, that's punishment enough!
Kate, the next book is "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (Oscar Wilde) and the date to post is Feb 28th, if you'd like to get an early start. But I, along with everyone else, would really like to hear what you thought of "Chronicle"!
I've never read The Picture of Dorian Gray. I look forward to it. I've put a copy on hold at the library (the Modern Library edition, Ella, in honour of your quest!).
Kate, I hope you don't mind me laughing--I can just imagine you saying, "I've never read Dorian Gray before. I look forward to postponing my reading of it for as long as possible." Seriously, though, I would also enjoy reading your impressions of Chronicle, or any others, late or not.
Quillhill,
It's not the reading that I postpone (never the reading!). It's the writing about the reading that I can't seem to get down to by times. Of course, now I feel that my honour depends upon a punctual post on The Picture of Dorian Gray...
How interesting you mention honor--a major theme of Chronicle.
2006 New Year's resolution: I hereby resolve to refrain from Any and Also All Promises (private or public) to Post.
Wasn't the internet-highway-road-to-hell created expressly to distract writers? Or was there some other reason?
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