Image via Kilork

Why do writers procrastinate so much?

Right now, at this very moment in time, I know I have a lot of editing to do. I know I  have a limited amount of time to do it in, while Tornado Toddler is at nursery. And yet…I’m not doing it. Well, I am. In bits. But first I have to check Facebook. Then Twitter. Then cruise around a few other websites before I settle down to work. And then after a short while, the whole cycle starts again. And repeat, all morning long. Now I’m even writing this flipping blog post about procrastination, to avoid it a little longer. What’s that all about?!

I know it’s not just me, as I see lots of posts from my writer friends talking about the things they do to avoid getting down to the nitty gritty of writing. Making cups of tea features highly. Or staring out of the window. Or cleaning the house. Why do we do this? It’s amazing any books get written at all. There are blogs dedicated solely to procrastination, and hints and tips on how to stop it.

Right. Back to it. And maybe it’s time to pull out the network cable so I can’t go online, even if I really want to.

What do you do to avoid working? Tell all, and make me feel better. Plus, I can check in on the comments and procastinate a little more…

It’s fantastic to see, because I think to be given the gift of loving books is an amazing thing. I don’t understand people who say they don’t read. I cannot compute. What? Why ever not? It makes no sense to my befuddled brain. These people miss out on so much. You can experience so much through a book. Meet new people. Travel different places. Do interesting things. Books are an adventure, right there, at the tips of your fingers. What’s not to like? (Anyway, I don’t entirely believe people who say they don’t like reading. I just think they haven’t found the right book yet.)

Enid Blyton was my favourite author when I was younger. I loved The Famous Five, The Magic Faraway Tree, Mallory Towers and The Twins at St Clare’s. Even now I’m still stunned by how many books she published (It was hundreds. Read all about it on her Wiki page:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enid_blyton).

Thinking about how much she wrote, and the amount of storylines she came up with, completely blows my mind. 10,000 words a day? Good grief, woman, you were a writing machine. But I remember so clearly the excitement I felt when I got a new Blyton to read, knowing I was preparing to go on an adventure on a deserted island, or into a boarding school, or to live on a farm, or go up a magical tree. Enid helped create that magic in my childhood which made me love books so much now as an adult. So thanks, for that, Enid. You rock. (And thanks Mum and Dad for getting the books for me. It pays to have parents who run the book stall at the village fete. You rock, too.)

What about you? Which books did you most enjoy from your childhood?

It was my first PLR day after the release of Baby Badger’s Wonderful Night last spring, and I made the princely sum of £13.65. Oh yes. And that’s BEFORE tax, people. I’m rich! Or, er, not. But anyway, I posted about this on my Facebook page and it started an interesting debate about libraries, and whether or not they’re still relevant – and even used – anymore.

I love libraries. Mainly because I love books. Especially FREE books. But I probably don’t use my local library as much as I should, although I plan to now, as Tornado Toddler adores reading, and the library will offer him a lot of reading material, and cost me nowt. I’ve visited sporadically over the past year, doing the singing events when Tornado Toddler was a baby and borrowing the odd book here and there. I’m trying to cut down on the amount of stuff in my house, so am borrowing the books I’ll only read once, rather than buying them. But still, I don’t go as much as I once did. And with the increasing popularity of Kindles, and nobody really needing reference books anymore what with Google right at our finger tips,  I can see why people think libraries aren’t really needed.

I think libraries still have a lot to offer the community, and I’d be really sad to see mine go. Why not pay your local library a visit this week – you might be surprised by what you find.

What about you – do you use yours?

I resisted reading The Hunger Games for a long time, so I know I’m coming to this super late, but wow, this book is amazing.

I don’t get a lot of reading time at the moment (being a mother to a tornado toddler) but I’ve devoured the first two in this YA trilogy in record time and am currently finishing the third.

Katniss is sixteen and lives with her mother and sister in one of the poorest districts of what used to be the United States. Each district must send one boy and one girl as a tribute to take part in the annual Hunger Games, a televised reality show where the last one left standing (i.e. alive) is the winner. When Katniss’s sister is chosen as tribute, Katniss volunteers to take her place.

It’s the ultimate story of survival and had me on the edge of my seat, desperate to know who came out alive. I can’t wait for the film later this year. I just hope they do it justice – I hate it when you’re passionate about a book and then the film lets it down.

And I’m supposed to be a writer. So this is kind of a flaw in the whole writing plan.

But I suppose the main thing is that I’m here, whoohooo! And hopefully I’ll think of something to write very soon. (It will probably be a rant about Christmas music, just to warn you. It kind of gives me the rage, which is ironic, given my shameless adoration of all things cheesy and naff.)

Happy December, people! Let the countdown to Christmas begin…