Hello, my friends and the occasional relative!

This has been a week either of failure, or of tremendously successful procrastination. I can’t lie, I have done not a thing on the book. I opened the file a few times and glanced at the legend ‘Chapter 1’, but then looked away.

Why? Well, last week I was pretty bummed by finding things that needed fixing. I resolved to simply read the book through, not aloud in order to catch typos, but just burn through it to make sure everything else hung as I believed it should. I can probably do that in 6-8 hours, it isn’t a long book.

Did I ever have a free 8 hour block? Yes. I found other ways to fill them. Yes, plural. So obviously I just don’t want to read it and find more problems I thought I was all done with. That will drive me crazy. Better to delay the inevitable.

In my defense I had a full dance card this weekend: a wedding, a birthday party, and an engagement party back to back to back. But each of those days had long stretches of empty before or after those events. And I’ve had two days since. Easier to finish off an Easter event in my MMO of choice. Yes, that is a little painful to admit, but I did have fun.

Hell, I procrastinated writing this blog. Cooked my food for the week at work first. After laundry, working out, going for a late afternoon meal of the day. It is a tough life, and I know I’m lucky to be living it.

So, I procrastinated. Next week is my wife’s birthday. I’m likely to procrastinate again.

I read more of the Grant Morrison Batman Omnibus, onto volume three now, and I’d forgotten how much I liked his style – it is really coming together plus hitting solid emotional notes as the story moves toward what I hope is a suitable climax – the problem with US comics is sometimes writer’s runs on titles just get ended, and their planned storylines are never fulfilled. And with DC rather in love with big events where they reset their universe, you never know how long a writer, even one as influential and recognized as Grant Morrison, will get.  (I read some of his early work in 2000AD if I have not mentioned that before – I’d recommend finding the collected Zenith series, it’s a good taste of what’s to come.)

But never fear, sometimes a break is better than ploughing on regardless. Plowing on regardless doesn’t look right to me today. Little bit of UK spelling just for fun. Part of my delay will also be the fact that I’m almost done. Finishing is hard, and sometimes you don’t want to because what then? Publication. Which is a burst of pride and satisfaction, then a long slow drip of trepidation. A writer’s life for me! And after that? The next project. Starting all over. I’m excited by what’s to come, but it is a huge undertaking, so perhaps in my little heart of hearts I also want to delay putting my shoulder to that particular wheel.

Procrastinators don’t really need excuses, though they are handy little beggars!

Ok, I’m going to post this then get in the hot tub. Better than reading a chapter or four and going to bed tortured! Rationalization is also a procrastinator’s friend.

Next week, my friends. Next week I hope to surprise you. Until then, relax, take a breath, procrastinate.