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Writer Checkup

Originally published at Joely Sue Burkhart. You can comment here or there.

I don’t know why, but I tend to get very lazy in these dog days of summer. Maybe it’s the heat. Maybe it’s the monsters being out of school. Whatever, I’m terribly thankful that fall is just around the corner. I’ve been writing more consistently instead of just pecking away at things here and there, and I started asking myself some questions. Like:

  1. Are you talking about writing…instead of writing?
  2. Are you blogging…instead of writing?
  3. Are you reading craft books…instead of writing?
  4. Do you open a file, but *insert favorite time waster* instead of writing?
  5. Do you plot and replot and replot again…instead of finishing the damned book?
  6. Are you revising yet again…instead of submitting?
  7. Are you submitting yet another query…instead of starting the next book?
  8. Are you googling yourself, checking your sales rank, lurking on review blogs…instead of reading for market analysis?
  9. Are you obsessed with the next big break…instead of writing the story that makes your heart sing?
  10. Are you writing yourself into the ground…instead of refilling the Well?

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t do so well on this checklist. Would you add anything else to this checkup? Meanwhile, I’m going to make a list of everything I need to tie up this month for a big push this fall.

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