Procrasti-writing

While I love The New Yorker for its insightful essays, fiction, and, of course, cartoons, I am also a big fan of the Us Weekly feature “Stars—They're Just Like Us.”

Seeing celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow or Greta Gerwig doing mundane things like shopping at the grocery store or hanging out at Target is strangely comforting to me.

I recently discovered that there is a market opportunity for a similar piece of content called “Writers — They’re Just Like Us,” starring none other than me.

I was talking to a fellow business owner and jokingly mentioned that my house was so clean because I was "procrasti-writing" a piece of content.?

“Wait, what? You’re a professional writer! What do you mean you were putting off writing?”

“Oh, sure. Even us pros have days when we avoid our vocation. It’s human nature.”

That's when I realized that in the same way we believe that celebrities live carefree lives where all their needs are met, there is also a misconception that writers are these mystical creatures who sprout from the earth, float to the keyboard, and write with reckless abandon and perfect grammar all at once, nary a second-round draft in sight.

In a word, nope.

Take this newsletter, for instance.?

I started writing in my unshowered, yoga-pants-and-T-shirt-clad state, working under monastic conditions to complete this blog. (Yes, most of my procrasti-writing is around my own content.)

There’s no delicate way to put this: It was a SLOG! I wasn’t in the flow and couldn’t figure out why. So when the opportunity to hop on a Zoom call with fellow writer Rebecca Gold materialized, I took it.?

Part of me thought, “Oh, this is another distraction for you.” But a bigger part of me thought, “You need to take this call.”

I’m so glad I did.

That call with Rebecca was instrumental in helping me write the rest of this blog. Let me tell you why.

Rebecca hosts a writing group that I joined this Fall. After catching up on personal stuff — summer travel, moving, kids — we discussed the plethora of ideas I have around my second book and found a way to get my book writing in motion.

Once that problem was solved, I was able to focus on the next task: writing this blog.?

I realize now that my mind was cluttered with The Next Book thoughts swimming around in my subconscious, which made writing this blog harder.

But now, lookie this! It’s here, on your screen!

Writing can be lonely, but it doesn’t always have to be. Taking time to talk with someone who’s “been there and done that” to vent about writing struggles can be a comforting experience, and it’s a large part of what writing coaching is all about.

Working with a copywriter when creating content for your business is also crucial.

If you’d like to talk through a piece of writing that’s living in your head but somehow can’t get onto the page, let’s talk.?

Think of it as your own “Writers — They’re Just Like Us” session with me, where we dive into your ideas and figure out a way to move them forward.

No cost, no pressure, just a way to discover what possibilities lie ahead for you.

It beats cleaning out the junk drawer, that’s for sure.

P.S. And just to be clear (because it never hurts to clarify): Whether we dive into the realm of copywriting for your business or work on honing your writing craft as an aspiring author, the next step is identical: Book a Discovery Call. Let's embark on this writing journey together.