Last week on my own blog I nailed my colours to the mast - and the colours were blood red and battle black. (All right, I know this is a picture of the Angel Gabriel, played by the delectable Tilda Swinton in the distinctly odd movie Constantine, but she's not a nice Gabriel.) As I explained there, I'm trying to re-create myself as a writerly version of "Devil Woman/Old Testament Mobette". Goodbye Mary Poppins - Hello Typhoid Mary. I'm going to grab my characters by the scruff of their little necks and make them suffer. Big time. Put 'em in danger and leave 'em there - that's my motto ...
So, one week in, how's it been going?
Oh dear.
So far, I've done laundry and tidied my desk and bundled a bunch of old clothes off to the charity shops. I've been to the dentist. (I went in no pain at all, and have had toothache ever since. Surely that's the wrong way round?) I've renewed my prescriptions. I've even taken a mole to the doctor that has been worrying me slightly for about a year. (Nothing sinister.) I've written emails and letters and, here we are, a blog. I did the last of this year's World Book Day events. And I've googled pictures of Tilda Swinton.
Procrastination, thy name is Devil Woman. Let's see if a public confession gives me the push I so obviously need to get stuck in to making life hell.
This week, there'll be no more Mrs Nice Guy ...
Joan Lennon's website
Joan Lennon's blog
6 comments:
One need never apologise for either googling or posting pics of Tilda Swinton, especially pics of her as a (remarkably breastless) Gabriel.
Come on, come on, Joan. No good planning to send your characters off into danger and then opting out of following them there yourself. (Note: This is also a message to self.)
Maybe you just need a bit of resting time to get your energies back? Maybe you just need to get your house/desk/life in order before you start again? Or, on the other hand, Tilda or no Tilda . .
Yes, yes! You are so right, Joan. You inspire me. Visualise me cheering you on as you fling your characters into bitter situations. I'm right behind you, because I'm going to do the same. Oh hang on, though, the loos need cleaning...
Ahh Procrastination, a favourite occupation but the most guilt-ridden.
Someone recently asked me which of my characters I would like to be and I realised that I give them all such a bad time that I don't think I would like to be any of them. In fact I am pretty relieved that I am NOT them.... except for that time spent being them while I am writing, does that count?
Of course she was talking about my teenage characters (I think). It might be fun to be Hamish McHaggis for a while. He goes on a lot of picnics.
Go for it, Joan. Don the robes of Nasty, and enjoy!
Madonna reinvents herself all the time... go for it!
I think that sometimes, often maybe, your brain makes you procrastinate because it's not quite ready to attack the writing in the way you want to, it's still got some churning and processing to do, so you find yourself doing the ironing or making bread or just staring out of the window. But really you're working. That's what I like to believe, anyhow.
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