Your worst excuses to -not- write

[Chel]

As the title says, what are YOUR worst excuses to not write?

I had one just now.

It takes too long to launch OpenOffice or start a new project in Scrivener, and then re-arrange the two browsers I have open.

Do you have an even worse excuse not to write in the next hour?

 

[jastius]

i bake cookies instead of writing.. so far in the cookie jar are peanut butter jam thumbprints, corriander shortbread, oatmeal apple crumble turnovers, maple toffee raisin bars, coconut macaroons and triple chocolate chunk brownie cookies... weirdest thing is i don't really eat cookies and end up giving them away.

 

[lauren$77]

I don't make up excuses to not write, but do make them up to write! Like when my house really, really needs cleaning, or I'm supposed to be studying for exams...oh I really must finish that very important scene.

If you're posting cookies Jastius I'll have some....just love cookies! yum!

 

[ali565]

I go on my laptop and then end up playing several rounds of solitaire and not writing a single word!

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I never make up excuses not to write.

 

[Beef]

Back spasms meaning I can't sit up without enduring terrible pain

 

[nixie]

i bake cookies instead of writing.. so far in the cookie jar are peanut butter jam thumbprints, corriander shortbread, oatmeal apple crumble turnovers, maple toffee raisin bars, coconut macaroons and triple chocolate chunk brownie cookies... weirdest thing is i don't really eat cookies and end up giving them away.

The only writting I do is the 75 challenge and the occasional 300 challenge but I'm replying to this thread to request the shortbread, apple crumble and macaroons are past to me in the future. The other cookies can then be earmarked for the staffroom, they would be greatly appreciated

 

[chrispenycate]

The flat dropped below freezing, and bed was the only place to keep warm (cartoon of duvet with snorkel protruding and, beneath, LED torch (flashlight), notebook and pencil).

The train arrived in my station in the middle of a chapter, and I had no desire to continue to Zürich (cartoon of irate ticket inspector waving a train ticket at an extremely innocent-looking Chrispy).

Yeah, spider solitaire works for my sister, but if I have some words buzzing around in my head they need to go down first, before I can concentrate on games. Obviously, if my muse takes a week in Malaga, then it's different (writing a seventy-five worder by Skype=conceivable, getting into a novel=not).

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Aww, nixie took all the best cookies!

My children generally provide most of the reasons I don't get to write. Need to go somewhere, need help doing something, need attention, need to be noisy past their bedtime, etc.

 

[millymollymo]

I don't want to shout at the computer today?
My characters are on strike?
- Hubby insists I write, keeps me focused. He sees through all the obvious excuses. Even the keyboard sticking and making a nightmare for editing is not an excuse.

Generally I make excuses TO write, life finds plenty of things that I must do, (Housework,Kids, Uni assignments, last minute work needs ... but those last two are sort of writing, just not the novel writing.)

 

[ralphkern]

I just bought GTA V... Even worse I'm probably less than 5 hours work away from it being done (the book) however I am kinda using it as a bit of reflection time as to whether I want to tweak certain scenes or not too so not entirely a waste

 

[Jo Zebedee]

When I am in the zone to write - as I am at the mo - only RL work stops me and then only grudgingly. When I am less in the zone I play games and generally... Ooh, shiny bauble.

 

[DaCosta]

An excuse not to write? I steal every moment I can to write; it's like breathing. Why would I make an excuse not to breathe?

Having said that, I've not experienced writer's block or the doldrums with my work - yet. I know it will come. When it does, I'll be sure to report back with the excuses!

 

[DaCosta]

Aww, nixie took all the best cookies!

My children generally provide most of the reasons I don't get to write. Need to go somewhere, need help doing something, need attention, need to be noisy past their bedtime, etc.

lol - your's too, huh.

 

[allmywires]

tumblr...

normally when I've been writing a while and get to a point I don't want to write, then sign off and leave it...it's almost impossible to come back and start again at the point you don't want to be writing. I normally have to skip ahead a bit before coming back. psychological blocks hooray...

also when it's too cold to type. that's a thing definitely.

 

[sinister42]

Here's what often happens to me.
"Ok, I'm going to sit down and write."
*open Word. Load a story.*
"Hang on, I need music."
*Open Google Music. Figure out music to play. Wonder why Bluetooth isn't sending it to my stereo receiver. Fiddle with it. Reboot computer. Unplug Bluetooth. Plug Bluetooth back in. Go into computer settings, futz with Bluetooth settings. Finally get Bluetooth to work. Music starts playing.*
"Ok, now I can write."
"Hang on, I need a beverage."
*Go into kitchen, start making an egg cream. Realize I need to make seltzer. Use SodaStream to make seltzer. Mix seltzer, milk, and chocolate syrup. Return to couch. Bluetooth has stopped working. Start futzing with that again. Husband comes home and turns on television. Watch television.*

Ad infinitum. Should be easier now that I'm using a Chromecast, and syncing with Google Music is seamless, but I'm sure I'll find other things to distract me.

 

[sinister42]

The other thing that tends to happen is:

"Hey, I've got a great idea for a novel."

Spill coffee on laptop, frying it.

That happened last year.

Or this happens:

Replacement laptop hard drive crashes. Send it to Houston for HP to not fix. Get it back with the battery disconnected from the motherboard. Spend three hours on the phone with Indonesian tech support. Send it back to Houston for HP to not fix. Get it back with Windows Defender not working and the keyboard badly reconnected so that some of the keys don't respond as snappily as they should. Sigh in frustration, download third party antivirus, and use it anyway.

That was my last four weeks.

Doing a lot of writing on my work computer at lunch - that's been working well.

 

[Boneman]

I've run out of Marmite.