Thanksgiving Writing Prompt

Try and bring to mind a particular Thanksgiving dinner. Where did you go? Who was there? What events stood out in your mind? Write the scene so that all of the senses are involved: sight, smell, taste, touch, sound. For instance, is it the crumbly texture of your grandmother's pie crusts that you remember most? Maybe the smell of your uncle's cologne which overpowered the cooking food? Did you always have to sit next to your squirmy cousins at the little kid's table and start to feel claustrophobic after awhile. Was this the only time your mother brought out the good dishes? You'll be surprised where these memories lead you, whether it be to an emotional awareness of something you'd forgotten or perhaps never realized!

Whatever your memories, let's be grateful!

5 Tips for Avoiding Procrastination!

It's the writer's biggest fear--and hurdle. When you can't find the motivation to write, what do you do? Here are a few tips that hopefully will keep you out of that trap.

1--Find group activities to help overcome the causes of procrastination. Look up a local writer's group or create your own.

2--Stop daydreaming. The imagination is a powerful tool for the writer, after all, it's what you do! However, to do nothing other than dream of future success is actually lazy and ultimately leads to a great deal of confusion. A healthy mind needs to be focused on actually engaging in life not in dreams. Start to employ your imagination into assessing what needs to be done and whether or not your ideas are worth pursuing in reality.

3--Start planning. Putting aside some planning time can mean the difference between achieving your goals and just circulating around them. I've got some great tips back in my September post. Make a list, think about who you need to discuss things with, think about the things that can go wrong and then set those goals to combat it.

4--Commit to action. You are better off forgetting an idea if you are not going to take some action on it. Identifying a goal and using some program like the SMART system, you should be able to start identifying the various steps that need to be taken. Agree to a time frame with yourself and stick to it. Do a bit at a time and identify what you want to achieve at each stage. This will lead to ultimate success.

5--Be prepared to flex you goals. As you begin to break down your objectives, you will come to realize things that you hadn’t thought about when you were stuck in your “happy land” day dreaming state. This is perfectly OK and you should remain open to modification.

Remember, procrastination is ultimately a rather negative state. People get bored listening to someone’s constant ideas when there is nothing done to progress them. The procrastinator can end up more confused and inactive as the mind becomes tied up in the inactivity of dreaming. "Procrastination is the thief of time", as the famous quote says. And it's no joke!