For all the writers who, like me, have trouble doing what they're supposed to be doing...

One thing I've learned about being a writer is that writers are really great at doing shit they shouldn't be doing during times when they should be writing.  (In those moments, anything that isn't writing qualifies as "shit the writer shouldn't be doing.")

I've come up with a strategy to combat this phenomenon.  And so far, it's working brilliantly.  I'll share it with you:

1. Brainstorm more than one writing project.  Make these projects all things you're really, really interested in.  (Mine are my novel, my "free-range project," and short stories to submit to various writing competitions.)

2. Create designated writing time, where you swear on your Cole Hamels autographed hat (or some other tangible item that you love) that during that time, you'll do writing, and nothing else.

3. Set an expectation for how you're going to use that time--pick a project to focus on.

4. Inevitably, when writing time rolls around, you won't focus on the project you said you'd focus on.  Instead, you pick one of the other projects, because--based on the fact that they are not the one project you'd expected to work on--those projects have become a sort of thing you didn't plan to do, which makes them irresistible to an easily-distracted, misbehaving, can't-follow-orders writer.

5. But you still win, because ONE of your writing projects gets worked on--even if it's not the one you expected to work on.  Ta-da...you've made progress!

I think this has happened to me 11 days during the past 2 weeks.  But since I'm writing--and writing stuff I'm actually happy with--I'm not complaining.  :)