#DECEMBER WINNERS POST-Sonia Gives Us Tips to Avoid Procrastination

Laura here once again!

The December prompt saw a lot of wonderful entries! Choosing a winner was no easy task, but Sonia prevailed with a beautiful and heart-wrenching tale.

Judge Nick Wilford said:

"A beautiful evocation of loss. This was really touching."

If you haven't yet read the previous post listing our winners, please do so.

Now it is our pleasure to host a guest post from our winner Sonia. In addition to this guest post, she also won a critique from J.L. Campbell and a guest post in the IWSG newsletter.

Have you as a writer ever struggled with procrastination? Sonia has some useful tips to help you avoid it and get words on the page.

The Art of Not Procrastinating

Finally, I am at my desk doing the WEP Post. It’s taken me some time with the New Year and all the travelling. But more than that, I think procrastinating has been my biggest enemy when it comes to writing. The temptation to write on another day, when the sun is out and the bees make enough honey or when God himself decides to send the right signal, is so strong that today just doesn’t seem enough! So, I decided to talk about the art of “not procrastinating” when it comes to writing.

The famous Indian saint and mystic poet, Kabir Das says in his oft-quoted couplet,

‘ काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब

पल में परलय होएगी बहुरि करेगा कब !’

Simply translated, what you intend to do tomorrow, do it today and what you intend doing today, do it right away because the world might end in the blink of an eye leaving you with no time at all!

On the flip side, I am also someone who believes in writing ONLY when my heart calls and when words flow ceaselessly. Yet, sometimes, this belief can turn out to be the most incredible impediment.

The ‘Art of Not Procrastinating’, I think, can help writers a great deal. Here are a few pointers I made for myself and which might help my writer friends:

Have a personal almanac   Assign yourself a task for every single date on the calendar. The same piece may spill over to another date but just be clear about what you want to write about on a particular day.

Smaller Goals   Just ensure to spend fifteen minutes writing. Do not think that you shall sit at the table only when you have enough. Fifteen minutes should help you start.

Perfection is a Myth   We often postpone work because we want to do it near perfect. On the contrary, remember that action is far more important than perfection, which is subjective and only a state of mind.

One Goal at a Time   Do not think of achieving too many targets together. If you are looking at writing a book, it is better to focus on it than fill your time with several small pieces to attain temporary gratification.

If you must write gibberish, so be it   Stop waiting for the muse to come to you, for the perfect word to hit your mind. Write whatever you can, even if it’s not the best version. It is way better than not writing at all!

There are, way many points to add to the list above, but for now, I guess I can just ask you to get to your desk. I just did that and finished this piece. Yay!

About the Author-Sonia Dogra is a blogger and writer, who is trying to play with words in the hope that they may convey what her heart wishes to say! She may be read here: A HundredQuills

Thank you Sonia! I'll have to try these out for myself. I'm already following one of these as part of my goals for the new year. I'm writing so much gibberish right now, but I'm meeting my word count goals.

Please join us for the first challenge of 2020 in February as we begin a new year at Write...Edit...Publish. I have the feeling this one is going to be special and filled with wonderful stories.

Feel free to check out ideas from the WEP 2020 Challenges Page for the next prompt ..or not. It's up to you!

More details are coming in Denise's post on February 1st. See you there!

Until then, happy writing!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

We'd love if you'd Tweet one of these:

The WEP 2019 December Challenge Footprints Winner's Post - @TheIWSG @DeniseCCovey #amwriting #flashfiction https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/01/december-winners-post-sonia-gives-us.html #WEPFF

Do you struggle with procrastination? December Challenge Winner's Post @TheIWSG @DeniseCCovey  https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/01/december-winners-post-sonia-gives-us.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

Join @TheIWSG @DeniseCCovey for the Winner's Post Footprints  https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/01/december-winners-post-sonia-gives-us.html  #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

Will you follow the footprints of advice? Join @TheIWSG @DeniseCCovey for the winner's post https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/01/december-winners-post-sonia-gives-us.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

# OCTOBER WINNER'S POST - READ ABOUT WRITER"S BLOCK & HOW BERNADETTE TACKLES IT

Nila here again! 

I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating, like all good things - what a crop of superlative writing the October HORRIBLE HARVEST prompt produced! Picking winners out of so many is always extremely hard, but this time Bernadette was a rare unanimous choice by the WEP team.

Judge Nick Wilford said:

"This wasn't the only story with an eco theme, but it treats the subject in such a stark and sobering way that it nudges into first place for me. Amazing to pack something so powerful into so few words."

If you haven't already, please visit the previous post to read all about the winners and other news.

It is our pleasure to share with you a guest post from Bernadette. As well as winning the critique prize from Kyra Lennon, Bernadette writes a guest post for WEP and the IWSG newsletter which will be out soon.

Here's what Bernadette does to tackle writer's block:

5 Ways to Get Rid of Writer's Block

You've probably already heard about the good ol' writer's block. The fact that there are so many articles on the topic acknowledges that it's a widespread phenomenon (Yes, even copywriters who already have a topic and character limit get stumped on where to get started). So then, it's just natural that a writer who's creating something marvellous from scratch gets stuck now and then.

Here are a few of the tips that work for me:

1. Read what others have done

Make a note of what you want to write about and do a quick Google search on it. It’s a great way of finding inspiration

Warning: This method is also quite a time killer so be sure that you have a way of keeping yourself from going down the rabbit hole.

2.  Listen to music (or do whatever helps you think)

Listening to music helps me think. I usually enjoy rock, blues & pop and they inspire me in different ways. Try using a random line from the song you're listening to as a prompt. It may lead nowhere but believe me, it's fun. Alternatively, if music doesn’t work for you, try something else that helps you think. It could be anything from bouncing ideas off a friend to taking your dog for a walk.

3. Dream

Imagine if you were living in your WIP's world. You could probably bump into one of your characters on your way to work or have one of them plotting a sinister plan right behind you. This is a great way to understand how to move on ahead (almost like looking at a 3D model of a human organ to understand it better). Just bear in mind that this method has the same limitations as point one.

4. Wait

Sometimes the answer to a problem is to just let it be. Do something else that you enjoy or need to get done. It's a better way of staying productive instead of staring blankly at a screen/page. You’ll also end-up spending your time in a much better way.

5. Write about it!

Let your writer's block work for you. If your block is not letting you write, just use it as an inspiration and write a tale about how it's affecting you or ways to combat it. I just did.


Thank you, Bernadette, for these creative ways to get over writer's block, my favourite's gotta be 4! Let the writing find me instead of the other way round! 

Join us for the final 2019 prompt in December as we round up another landmark and creative year at Write...Edit...Publish...

Check out ideas from the WEP 2019 Challenges Page for the next prompt ..or not. Go with your own if you like...

More details in Laura's post on December 1st. In which she introduces the prompts and the directions we take in 2020...See you there!

Till then, happy and blockless writing! 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

We'd love if you'd Tweet one of these:

The WEP 2019 October Challenge Horrible Harvest Winner's Post - @TheIWSG @DeniseCCovey  https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2019/11/october-winners-post-read-about-writers.html #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF

How unblocked are you? October Challenge Winner's Post @TheIWSG @DeniseCCovey  https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2019/11/october-winners-post-read-about-writers.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

Join @TheIWSG @DeniseCCovey for the Winner's Post Horrible Harvest  https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2019/11/october-winners-post-read-about-writers.html 
#WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

What has the winner harvested? Join @TheIWSG @DeniseCCovey for the winner's post https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2019/11/october-winners-post-read-about-writers.html  #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

#AUGUST WEP WINNER'S POST - RED WHEELBARROW - READ ABOUT KALPANAA AND HER COTTAGE IN THE HIMALAYAS!!

The WEP team would like to emphasize once again what a treasure trove of excellent writing the August RED WHEELBARROW prompt was. Picking three out of so many is always difficult, but this time at least we were all unanimous that the outright winner was Kalpanaa. Judge Nick Wilford said:

"An intriguing story that works, I think, because of the questions it raises - sometimes it's good to leave the reader guessing. A hint of the supernatural and a portrait of a strained family dynamic that allows us to empathize with Kelly."

If you haven't already, please visit the previous post to read all about the winners and other news.

It is our pleasure to share with you a guest post from Kalpanaa. As well as winning the critique prize from Chrys Fey, Kalpanaa writes a guest post for WEP and the IWSG newsletter which will be out soon.

Here's Kalpanaa's post:

A WRITER FIRST

Are you a writer first and a _______ second? With the blank representing whatever career or money earning occupation you fill your days with that keeps you from your writing but pays your bills?

Some of us don’t have the luxury to just write, others don’t want to be dictated to about what to write, which means that like me, you’re a writer/teacher or a writer/something else. It isn’t exactly an ideal solution because teaching is a job that needs horrible amounts of keeping of records. Since I wrote the story for the Red Wheelbarrow WEP prompt, I've written a couple of blog posts but the bulk of my writing has been lesson plans, lesson reflections, emails and WhatsApp messages.


I consoled myself with these lines from the  book we are reading for the IWSG Book Club. It’s Betsy Lerner’s The Forest for the Trees: An editor’s advice to writers. Betsy writes, “I believe there is still enormous value in a piece of writing that goes no farther than the one person for whom it was intended, that no combination of written words is more eloquent than those exchanged between lovers and friends, or along the pale blue lines of private diaries, where people take communion with themselves.’


Those lines took the edge off my not-writing-anguish.  I’m striving to change my circumstances so that I have more time to write things other than lesson plans.  But my WIP weeps copious tears at this sop – that all writing (even lesson reflections) is writing. There is an urgency to my figuring out my life so that I can work remotely and not at a desk for eight hours. So that I can live, for most of the month, in my cottage in the Himalayas.


That cottage is not a distant dream but a five-and-a-half-hour train journey to a station called Kathgodam where butterflies are the size of small birds, fluttering from blossom to blossom with the bluest sky as a backdrop and the scent of fresh air wafting down the green hills.

Winding up the hills to the writing cottage

After another hour  up a  winding around many disorienting hills, over bridges spanning exuberant aquamarine rivers hurtling over rocks, a couple of spring-fed lakes with forests on their shores we stop at a market town. I buy eggs, fruit, vegetables and wine before we drive up the last twenty minutes leaving behind the lakes, the hill houses and the paragliding stations.


The garden is asleep under the sun, a new rose has opened her petals. Ingredients are put into the bread-maker, a cup of tea is brewed and I plant myself on the porch with my laptop. Distractions are gentle, the song of a starling, a moonrise, an eventful sky, a bunch of visiting monkeys snacking on blossoms. They don’t count as distractions but as opportunities to stop and stare, to think about what I’ve written and to inspire me to get back to work so that I can reach my word count before wine o’clock. Can’t allow myself that glass of red otherwise.

View from the porch

Writing at the cottage is my plan for the future. In the meantime I sneak in a couple of paragraphs here and there like someone having an affair with writing. I can’t wait for the day when I’m married to my novel.


How do you write? Are you married to your writing or having an affair with it?

Check out ideas from the WEP 2019 Challenges Page for the next prompt. It doesn't have to be horror. October is always our most popular month and we'll have special prizes!!

Also please check out Denise's guest post at the IWSG website. She's talking about, you guessed it, WRITING TO PROMPTS.

FOR THE WEP TEAM!