Summertime is Over

This is it! No more excuses!

No more holidays abroad

No more weddings to plan/decorate/attend

No more house-guests descending from foreign shores

It has been one true jam-packed roller-coaster of a summer but Summertime is well and truly over (literally - my 2-year-old niece Summer who's been staying this week has now gone, leaving the house judgementally peaceful)

And I have a DEADLINE which is scaring me silly and has me glued well-meaningly to my laptop - doing anything but writing! Research is work, right? Emailing agents and research people is definitely work. As is looking up SCBWI upcoming events and other writer's facebook posts - and tweeting and blogging - these are all essential writerly tasks -

But funnily enough this is not getting my edits done.

WHY is it that when you're immersed in creative zeal things always come along to drag you away (like six weeks of holidays, family and weddings - what a drag! :)).

Or that that really great idea for the next book or for improvements to the one you're meant to be editing ALWAYS without fail hit JUST as you're drifting off to sleep, and keep you awake for the next two or three hours as your head spins with ideas and details you HAVE to write down before sleep obliterates them forever?

The same reason, I suppose, that in the evening when you're wide awake you don't want to go to bed and then when your alarm goes off in the  morning you don't want to get up. You KNOW that getting an early night will make it easier in the morning, but perversely I do not listen to this sensible little voice in my head, but instead read another chapter of a good book/watch another episode of Gilmore Girls/IM/surf the web - anything but go to bed. 

The same reason that it's so EASY to stop going to the gym or dieting after you lapse just once.

The same reason that when I'm meant to be working on novels I am inspired to write picture books - or vice versa.

Sod's law? Probably.

Stupidity? Almost definitely.

Will-power? Of course.

But more than anything it's that famed adversary of all (ok, most) writers.

Procrastination.

I tell myself this is no adversary at all, that chance would be a fine thing - that I'm far too BUSY to procrastinate, even if I wanted to. I've had an extremely busy, crowded, noisy summer.

And now?

There's no point starting now - it's late, I'm tired - much better to start tomorrow.

Tomorrow I will get stuck in.

Tomorrow I'll get up bright and early and do a full, long, productive day.

Tomorrow is another day - I'll get an early night and start refreshed!

So of course here I am writing my blog :)

Disclaimer: Please note, if any of my agents or editors are reading this please remember that I am a writer of fiction and all the above is purely fictional and not based on any person or persons living or dead - especially me - as I am a diligent, conscientious, and hard-working writer who would never ever be caught procrastinating. Ever.