Craft of Writing

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Craft of Writing

Rhonda Eudaly

Getting Off the But

If you're a writer, someone usually has to tell you they also want to be a writer and asks about the rules. Invariably the answer is: "Apply butt to chair." That's the general rule of thumb for writing. Nike may have the trademark on the "Just do it" slogan, but it applies to so much more than shoes, sports, and fitness. It applies to everything in life, but most importantly, it applies to writing. Nothing ever gets written without someone actually sitting down and doing it.

What the most amazing thing, though, is that one of the smaller words in the English language is one of the biggest obstacle to the writing process, career, and lifestyle. It's the word, "but." Yes, with the one 't'. One of the most difficult things in the world standing in the way of applying butt to chair is getting around the but to the chair.

I'm admit I can be the Queen of Procrastination when I'm writing. Like many people, I do best with a deadline, but I also procrastinate more when I have a deadline. That's when the buts come into play. We've all had the following phrase go through our heads: "I should be writing 'X', but..."

For me the end of the above phrase is usually followed by something related to housekeeping. My house is never cleaner than when I have a serious deadline. Any other time, housekeeping is a lot lower on my priority list. Now I'm not a horrible slob, but I have my clutter. My shoes are usually in a pile and the bed isn't always made. The dishes tend to pile up and don't get me started on the dust bunnies.

However, despite the call of household chores, random pet needs, or errands that have to be run, we all have to make the conscious choice to put them aside and focus. Now, don't get me wrong, there are things that have to do be done that can't be put aside indefinitely—the dog does have to go out before it piddles on the carpet, kids and spouses do have to eat and go to various classes, etc.—but there are a lot of things we can and maybe should put aside to get the job done. And if you're really serious as a writer, you have to and will learn when the 'buts' get in the way of the chair and when they have to be ignored.

If you're one of the lucky ones, you have loved ones who understand and pick up the slack. If you're not, you really know the challenges of not letting the 'buts' get in the way. You also know when deadlines loom—whether self-imposed (which for writing material on spec is necessary) or for a submission closure—when to finally put aside the 'buts' and apply the butt to the chair to get the job done.

If there was a magical solution to avoiding the 'buts', I would be a very rich woman, but there aren't any magical solutions except "Just do it." It's like many of the become a millionaire schemes. It starts out with a "Decide to be and then do" or "It takes money to make money" (my personal favorite annoying trite comment). Well, guess what, it's true for writing. It takes writing to make a writer, and you have to decide to do it and then just do it.

Time management skills are different for everyone—whether it's a chart, or simply locking the door and putting on some headphones so you cut off from the world, or something in between. You have to find what works for you. For me, it's either getting the Plot Bunny idea that won't let go—usually when I should be working on something else—or the "threat" of a looming deadline scaring and spurring me into action. I'm at my best with a cut off date—for me it's a challenge to get it done early. However, if there's no pressing need to accomplish a piece by a certain time, then there's no pressure to finish and many things languish for that lack and never get done.

If you were hoping for a quick fix, I'm sorry, I wish I had one. But there is hope. There is help. Decide today that it's okay to tell the 'buts' to take a hike. You know, unless you're off to a job interview, a funeral, or some other special occasion requiring specific clothes, the laundry can wait for a couple hours or—gasp—even days until you get your piece written or in progress. The same for the dishes and dust bunnies. If there's another person in the house, maybe they can take out the trash or drive the kids to soccer practice.

It all comes down to Nike and "Just do it." You really can. And if you're serious about being a writer, you really have to. It's not an option. It's a requirement. If you're going to write, you have to dump the 'buts' and dump 'butts' in chairs.

About the Author
Rhonda Eudaly lives in Fort Worth, Texas where she's worked in offices, banking, radio, live sound production, and education, to support her writing habit and her cat, Dixon. She has a varied publication history in both fiction and non fiction.