I’ve been procrastinating the past few weekends. And not just on writing but also on laundry, cooking and other things.
Procrastination is a sign of poor management skills. Where more pleasurable things are given a higher priority above other important tasks. Yet something happened amidst all the dawdling and delaying. Something that made me believe that maybe procrastination had gotten a bad rep since the 1540s.
I've spent most of the weekends re-watching my favorite lakorns (Thai dramas) and Korean dramas. And while I’d busied myself diving into the Asian drama world, moments of inspiration had fired away in my brain like a Gatling gun.
So what starts off as a bad habit has helped create complex characterization and high concept storytelling. I now have an infrastructure to the poli-religious system for the Witch government in the Nadia Series. It also serves as another plot point of tension to build on throughout the series.
The level of strength for chanted and nonverbal spells in the Nadia world are fully explained. Why chanted spells are a double-edge sword as their potency comes from the power of words. A power even humans have although they’re incapable of implementing its full capabilities. And how the strength of a witch is not determined by skill but by will, knowledge and a bit of luck.
I even have a clearer understanding of my antagonist Lucinda from Harbingers of El Tinor. And the process of her conditioning and self deteriorating the closer she reaches her goals.
All these revelations would not have come to pass if I’d not put off my writing schedule. Let’s face it, writers are easily distracted creatures. It’s one of the many bad personality quirks that most writers share. For more, you can check out Rachel Gardner’s blog post 7 (Bad) Habits of Highly Successful Authors. And though it goes against the adage of “keep writing” I suggest that we embrace this side of ourselves. Just remember to practice moderation.
“You often find what you need, when you stop trying to find what you want.”- Lidy Wilks
Are you a procrastinator? If not, do you have some other bad habits that have actually contributed to your writing? Please share in the comments below.
*Credit for this image goes to Grammarly.