Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Top Ten Temptations Currently Most Likely to Turn My Attention Away From Writing

I’ve blogged before about the diversions most likely to lure me away from writing but recently these ‘tantalizing teasers’ have been especially hard to resist. From time to time it behooves one, I think, to reassess those activities in one's life that tend to encourage a person to stray from the task at hand. So, in the tradition of recognizing a problem exists and identifying that problem, I present Bullet Hole’s Top Ten Temptations most likely to keep me from writing.

10 American Idol, Grey’s Anatomy, Dancing With the Stars featuring fellow Iowan and Olympic Gymnast Shawn Johnson, Criminal Minds…

9 New (and multiple) voices in my head urging me to tell ‘their’ stories—voices I have no business listening to until I’ve met my page quota on my current wip

8 Naps

7 Junk food runs for caramel sundaes, flavored coffees, bakery items, and Chinese Cuisine (and prior to Easter, Cadbury Crème Eggs)

6 Movies and DVDs

5 Home improvement madness run amok

4 Online news sources that feed my political junkie habit and goad me to write emails and letters to my elected representatives rather than the next scene of my wip

3 Long overdue warm spring-like days that encourage me to play hooky by taking long walks in the park and my favorite haunt--the cemetery.

2 Nancy Grace and Jane Velez-Mitchell (sensational, yet riveting real life crime stories) and Greta Van Susteren (Fox News)

1 Uber tall stack of to-be-read books that promise hours of entertainment and escapismOkay, that’s the latest list of leisure time activities that prevent me from being as productive as I should be. Care to weigh in with your own Top Ten Temptations? What currently keeps you from focusing on the job at hand--whether it be writing-related, work-related, schoolwork, housework, etc.?

Now that I got that off my chest, I feel SO much better--confession being good for the soul, you know.

So, off I go to write…just as soon as I grab a cappuccino and a breakfast sandwich, check out the latest headlines, and take a short walk to clear my head of those voices I make reference to in Number 9 of my Top Ten Temptations.

Have a good one!

~Bullet Hole~


12 comments:

Keri Ford said...

Don't forget Castle! Comes on Monday nights!

big TBR pile is really distracting. While I was waiting on the page to load I was thinking of reading a book today!

I vacuumed and shampoo'd carpets yesterday. My kitchen floors are begging me-BEGGING me to do them. But that includes cleaning countertops and table. We'll save that for tomorrow on my workout day.

That nice warm sun outside which wonderfuly tans my skin and loads me up on that vitamin that I can't think of that my body doesn't store well. Doctor ordered here, so how can I NOT take advantage everytime the sun pops out so invitingly??

Kathy Bacus said...

Argh, how could I forget Castle! Love it!

And I must say, I like your way of thinking, Keri. Very sound reasoning...

Enjoy that sunshine!

~Bullet Hole~

Leslie Langtry said...

Naps. Definitely naps are a big distraction, and...oh look! Cake!

Kathy Bacus said...

I hear you, Les. Let them eat cake!

:)

~Bullet Hole~

LuAnn said...

What are my Top Ten distractions:
1. Reading one of the many great books on my TBR pile.
2. Visiting blogs that talk about books.
3. Taking a nap when I fall asleep while reading.
4. Warm weather that gets me outside the four walls.
5. Checking to see what came in the mail today.
6. Playing games on my computer.
7. The grandkids wanting my attention.
8. Sending e-letters to my friends.
9. Stopping to eat.
10. Going for a drive through the local wildlife refuge with my camera.

Hellie Sinclair said...

10. TV shows (or the TODAY show, which makes me perpetually late to work.)

9. Craft projects. "Oh, that looks like fun! I'll take up crocheting" and a few weeks later, "Hey, I haven't sewn in ages!" Right, well, I haven't WRITTEN in ages either.

8. BLOGS. I love blogs. And Facebook falls under this category for me.

7. EMAILS. I'm a complete junkie. I have to check like every other minute and respond IMMEDIATELY. Unless it's work related...that crap can wait.

6. Lunch with girlfriends (etc), whom I don't get to see very often. You have to make time for your friends or you won't have any. Plus you have to eat.

5. The gym. Not so much a temptation than a "I have to go before my muscles atrophy" but sometimes I do use it as a reason not to write.

4. Sleeping. I'd rather sleep than exercise; and I'd rather sleep than write.

3. Movies and DVDs.

2. Books.

1. Sex. (And if I have it the same night I went to the gym, I get brownie points for exercising twice in one day, right?)

Gemma Halliday said...

Blogs! If I could spend as much time writing as I do reading blogs... well, let's just say, it's a lot.

~Gemma

Terri Osburn said...

I *heart* Castle!

I did really well about a year ago where there was ONE show I made time for and the rest of the week, I was getting things done. Now, not so much. I'll be much better off when Idol and DWTS is finished and the other stuff goes into re-runs.

School work is about to become overwhelming but if I can make through the next 11 weeks and cross that finish line, I'm going to be SOOOOOOOOOOO relieved.

Coaching softball is not only taking up my time, but taking up my trunk space AND causing me to lose sleep. I have 9 little girls who have never played before and only 10 days to get them ready. It's NEVER going to happen!

Come July 1, when school is over and softball is over, kiddo is away for the summer and shows are on repeat mode, I hope to get TONS of writing done. After I sleep for several days. *sigh*

Kathy Bacus said...

Impressive Top Ten list, LuAnn. Sounds like the lure of warm weather and sunshine is pretty much a universal--and irresistable--distraction.

~Bullet Hole~

Kathy Bacus said...

LOL, MsHellion--and good for you on getting all the exercise! Note that gym visits are not among the things that keep me from the work at hand--and will, no doubt, never make my Top Ten...

~Bullet Hole~

Kathy Bacus said...

Gotta love that blogging, Gemma. And since you're expecting, we can give you a pass on napping which, as I recall, increase in frequency during pregnancy.

~Bullet Hole~

Kathy Bacus said...

The softball coaching sounds like a really fun--okay, and exhausting--way to spend time, Terrio. And I agree. Once we get to rerun season, I'll have much more time.

~Bullet Hole~