Writing Isn't Easy–So Don't Rush it

I always wait until the last minute to pen something because today you never know if there will be a tomorrow in this ever-increasing combatant world.

Well, truthfully, I'm not a fatalist. I'm just a procrastinator. It's not something of which I am ashamed. In fact, putting things off is a noble characteristic, and I wear it like a badge of honor.

What if God said, "I have to finish everything today," rather than dragging it out for six days and taking a nap on the seventh? Would man's brain turn out to be the same as that of an aardvark? Come to think of it, looking around at the absurd behavior of some of my species, the aardvark's I.Q. appears quite superior in many respects.

Perhaps we do not sniff up ants with our proboscises, but would an aardvark stay up all night New Year's Eve just to see a glowing globe slide down a pole? I think not. Would an aardvark waste time making a long list of resolutions knowing that most were nothing more than attempts in futility? No, again.

Next year, your resolution should be not to sweat the big stuff. You know, like the world's (and your) final demise. If you worry about it and it doesn't happen, then you've wasted a lot of valuable time; if you worry and it does happen, then I can inscribe your tombstone: "I told you this would happen!" In any case, you could have used that time reading a good book, or, better yet, writing one.

This brings me back to procrastination: So what if you didn't finish that "Great American Novel" this year? What if you didn't conquer the writing universe? Does that mean you should give up on your dream of one day becoming an acclaimed author? Would an aardvark stop sticking his snoot in anthills if he found a few with no inhabitants? No, he would relax and try again tomorrow.

So take out those old manuscripts that were rejected all too often. Examine them with a critical eye this time. Ask yourself which ones can be edited and rewritten, possibly with a specific slant for a certain niche. Those that are too badly written or no longer timely should be discarded and replaced with some fresh ideas. Jot down your goals for the future, but don't set an exact date when those goals should be reached. (Use the word should rather than must.) Give yourself latitude to procrastinate. You need not conquer the world on one specific day ... or any day, for that matter. Relax and enjoy the ride.

Let's be honest. Do you think that The Almighty wrote the Ten Commandments in one day? Not likely. He probably took a good look at Man, and the depraved behavior traits of these lowly creatures, and pondered how He could possibly come up with a set of rules that these moronic mammals would understand and obey.

I bet after careful contemplation, He wrote down only the first five or so in His notebook. Then He probably thought long and hard before closing the notebook, saying: "Ah, I think I'll finish this tomorrow ... or maybe the next day."

*If you want some more sage advice, go to: "The Perspiring Writer Magazine."