Writing, Good Writing and Procrastination
It has been on my mind for quite some time now, the question of what constitutes a worthwhile story. Is it the latest breaking news story? Or perhaps juicy celebrity drama? Maybe the answer lies within this compilation of cat videos.
Oops I seem to have gotten somewhat off topic.
The crux of the matter I think lies in the difficulty in determining what exactly is the purpose of writing. Throughout my formal education, I often wrote because it was required and I never had to consider whether the subject matter would appeal to anyone. After all, what I think is important may not even register on another person's radar and vice versa.
Then even if one has a decent idea for a stories, procrastination is a great beast that many must overcome. I've procrastinated writing this very piece about twenty times already. Many things can make us more prone to procrastination, such as lack of motivation or fear that what we create won't be any good regardless of how soon we do it. So people will put off making that enthusiast blog, or writing that book that will be the next great classic.
Thus, referring back to our schooling days, deadlines seem to make a huge difference in how we approach tasks. When we have an absolute deadline, usually even if we have to throw something together at the last minute, there's greater motivation to complete the task mainly due to fear of punishment. There are studies into the effectiveness of deadlines if you'd like to read up about it the next time you're procrastinating.
To close, I'll throw in a bit of my own personal experience. My academic journey has been a pretty good one, I always found I made good grades in spite of the fact that I always procrastinate. Some of my best assignments have been the result of procrastination. Though a few times I have suffered slightly due to procrastination. So my stance on procrastination is not really on either side. Sometimes pressure brings out the best of people, though at the same time if you don't take the time to nurture your work, you may be doing yourself a disservice by not presenting your best.
So please, give me your thoughts on all this business of procrastination and writing (either in general or specific case).
Procrastination is merely an excuse. If you really want to do something, you'll just do it. Perhaps a better approach to a task, be it writing or something else, is to determine if it fits within your personal vision for your life. If it doesn't then you'll likely procrastinate over it. Find something that is in rhythm with your vision, make a start on that, and watch it fly.
I feel that procrastination is a result of laziness and potentially a fear of being unworthy or no good at what you're working on. I don't think its a good idea. Wouldn't you rather just get it done and out of the way even if you finish it quickly? You do bring up a good point that not all works need to be nurtured, but why take the risk? I too have been a huge procrastinator in school, but when it comes to my poetry I take my time with it and produce the what I feel is my best. It's never failed me even if I write it in no time at all.