Sunday 7 February 2010

My Favourite Displacement Activities

All writers need them, those useful little activities that convince us we're contributing to our writing careers without actually involving writing. My top ones are....

1. This blog, Twitter, and email to friends, writers, fans, just about anybody actually
2. Checking my Amazon ratings
3. Planning my next classes
4. Planning marketing campaigns on loose bits of paper and then losing them
5. Going on writing courses
6. Organising my teaching files
7. Reading 'how to' creative writing books
8. Researching topics just in case I might use them in a novel
9. Reading around the background to the novel I'm writing
10. Travelling to the locations of the novel

But actually, I did need to go to Rome three times on research trips for A Single to Rome... Other useful displacement activities involve:

1. Walking the dog
2. Watching 'Bargain Hunt'
3. Making cups of tea
4. Laundry
5. Eating biscuits
6. Visiting my mother
7. Doing Sudoku
8. Tidying up after my daughter
9. Looking at houses for sale on the Internet
10. Shopping for the perfect foundation

With all these essential activities to do, it's incredible I ever get anything written at all.


2 comments:

Lizzie said...

Hi Sarah,

These are my top displacement activities:

Reading your blog – but obviously this will have long term benefits
Checking how many followers I have on Twitter
Reading and sending emails
Brushing the cats
Feeding the birds
Browsing the Bobbi Brown site – like you, always on the lookout for the perfect foundation
Internet research ... hours and hours can be lost
Digital Spy – essential for keeping up to date with celebs I've never heard of
The Archers message board
Going shopping (like now) when it's not entirely essential
Hoovering and cleaning the bathroom – but only when I'm desperate not to write

I'm sure I could think of more ...

Blossom

Sarah Duncan said...

I love Bobbi Brown - I did a complete make-up bag changeover to Bobbi Brown about 18 months ago after one of those store makeovers which I'd done on a whim. The assistant was surprised to have someone who bought the lot, so I made both our days.

Think Hoovering and cleaning the bathroom is a sign of real desperation - writing's got to be a better option.

ATB Sarah