Getting Serious About Writing

I have the opportunity to finally get serious about writing. All of my handy excuses for not writing are suddenly gone. Holy crap- no more excuses!

This is it! Now or never! Someday is now! Hugs not drugs! Wait. What? Oh, yeah, the whole writing thing. That wonderful, exciting, terrifying chance to write my ass off.

I've had short pieces published in the past, but once it became clear to me that I now have the time to work on something more ambitious, I decided to tackle a book. A memoir, to be specific. But how does one do that? And what does one do with a memoir once it's written? (More importantly, why am I suddenly writing like a snooty English nanny?)

In order to answer these questions, plus a few others concerning the theme song for The Big Bang theory, I turned to the Internet. I hooked up with mentors on Twitter & Facebook and have joined a couple of online writer's groups. Now my days are spent reading about writing.

*sigh*

I soon realized it's just another way to avoid the actual work. At some point I've got to look myself in the eye (perhaps while applying Amy Winehouse makeup just for funsies- trust me, procrastination is my thang) and ask how much I really want it. More than that, though. What am I afraid of?

I'm a writer because I'm not a speaker. I'm an entertainer who can't do stand-up or act in front of an audience. I want to share a good story and possibly make people laugh, but good God- I can't do that with live, blinking eyes on me. So...what if I write a great memoir and my publisher wants me to do readings, interviews or lectures? Would he get mad if I wound up in a fetal position under the podium? No, seriously, how bad would that be?

Hmm. Is fear of success just another excuse? Maybe. Probably. C'mon, I'm not that good. I'll be lucky to get an agent let alone a publisher. Writing is hard work. Reading about writing, answering e-mails, watching reruns of The Bachelor- easy. More specifically, avoiding the lonely, difficult task of writing is easy.

I thought it might be good for me to go public with my procrastination. If I take you along on this journey to finally buckle down, I'll be accountable to you to do the work. Coz, ya know, I love you, man. I'd hate to let you down. *sniff*

If you happen to be in my shoes, the first thing I'd like to say is, "Get out of my closet!!" Secondly, I'd like to know what excuses you make to avoid writing. More importantly, WHY?