Novel Magic: Top 10 Ways to Procrastinate

Procrastination runs Rampant in Sorchia’s Universe and my guest has given me even more ideas to up my procrastination game. What do writers do to avoid writing? My guest–Lyndi Alexander (also writing as Alana Lorens) –gives up her secrets. Don’t forget to check out her new Supernatural Thriller–Remnants of Fire.

Top Ten Things I Do to Procrastinate When I Should Be Writing.

by Lyndi Alexander (also writing as Alana Lorens)

Deal with the foster kitties. Since moving to Asheville, NC, I have fostered for several different local rescues—and failed with several kitties. The foster part, I mean. They are now part of a glorious clowder of 9. Here’s my current lover in his big TV moment!
“Research.” Well, that leaves the World Wide Web pretty Wide open, doesn’t it? Who knows when I might run across something…obscure…that I want to use in a story. Really obscure. Like, how do you refer to someone’s body parts in a way that isn’t blatantly offensive?
Clean. Yes, I do get that desperate sometimes. Ugh.
Cook. I do love to cook, but I prefer anything but mundane. Having raised 7 kids plus over the years, I have had enough chicken nuggets and mac and cheese to last a LIFETIME. Something Nigerian or Thai? Indian or Oaxacan? You bet. My cupboard is full of wonderful specialty spices and ingredients, and we eat well.
Doing the dishes. Yeah. Cooking from scratch like that makes a myriad of dirty cookware. Also, ugh.
Gardening. In the mountains, we are pretty much in the same temperature range as my old home in Pennsylvania. So, from April through October, we manage the small garden area outside. I used to do a lot of tomatoes and peppers, but I finally realized those were my dad’s priorities. Now I go to the Asheville Herb Festival each spring and gather herbs, chard, kale, catnip (of course) and other plants that will feed us all summer long.
Volunteering. In addition to fostering kitties, I contribute articles to the Asheville Cat Weirdos. When I first moved here, I thought perhaps this group would be too “out there” for me. But this is Asheville!! These are much more normal folk who constantly raise $ for helping other cat owners hit with emergency expenses.
Volunteering #2. With a couple of kids on the autism spectrum, I know how important it is to support them and their families. Local group Arms Around ASD provides everything from foot rubs to dance classes and karaoke and my weekly class on gardening that runs all year.
Sleep. I know a lot of people are like, What’s that? Unfortunately, I used to be one of those people and I burnt up my system. Now I have chronic sleep issues and sometimes just need that 3-hour nap in the day. Sorry, laptop. See you later.
Blue Ridge Mountains, y’all. Finally, there is this place, which is simply beautiful whichever direction you turn. While I can’t hike any more, certainly spending time in nature is amazing and here more than many places.

My latest supernatural thriller, REMNANTS OF FIRE, was a NaNoWriMo book back in the 2010s. You can read all about it and even catch an excerpt HERE.

This is why I do things like NaNoWriMo to kick my butt into gear once again. Which reminds me… I’ve got another 1600 words to write today. Back to work!