Wednesday, February 5, 2014

IWSG Post – Research procrastination woes

I can’t believe it, January has flown by superfast. We are one month down now. I had completely forgotten the IWSG post this month, but my dear pals Donna Hole and Alex Cavanaugh reminded me about it in their blog posts. Thank God for these two sweet bloggers.

For those who have not yet joined IWSG, I would urge them and ask them to join as soon as they can. IWSG is the Insecure Writers Support Group, which meets (or posts) on the first Wednesday of every month. We writers talk of our insecurities, fears, anxieties and doubts and help, support and encourage each other. IWSG was started by Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh. Check out the IWSG website.

My worry this month is that I have succumbed to procrastination where my current work-in-progress is concerned. I am doing everything (correcting my students’ assignments, writing newspaper features, even checking my FB and emails,) but when it comes to researching for my current woes, I am getting lazy.

I have written several chapters, planned many more, thought about giving each stray dog a distinctive personality etc, but I have not sat down and researched anything. I am not one of the world’s best researchers. I am the sort who starts writing as soon as I get an idea. Infact, many times I start writing as soon as a tiny seed of an idea jumps into my head. For most of my previous books, I hardly did any research.

I hope I can overcome this problem. I would like to research about cats and dogs (my main characters).  I keep telling myself that I should stop writing and spend some time researching so that I get all the animal facts and behaviour right.

Does anyone else have this research procrastination problem? How do you overcome it?

P.S. From 4th Feb to 10th Feb, my good friend Alex Cavanaugh’s book CassaFire is available for 99 cents on Amazon. Don’t miss this wonderful chance to buy his super amazing book. Here is the link to buy CassaFire on Amazon.


23 comments:

  1. You are blessed to be able to run with an idea as soon as it hits you Rachna. Kudos.

    Maybe you are over-thinking the problem; maybe you just need to take a break and let the ideas percolate and just have fun looking at cat and dog pictures and funnies. There is nothing cuter on u-tube than the world's funniest pets. Relax, have fun with the subject.

    The book sounds like a lot of fun. You have great ideas, a good start, and a subject matter to make anyone smile. So, procrastinate the research by enjoying the subject matter in the media. And laugh a lot.

    Thanks for mentioning me in your post.

    ........dhole

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  2. Procrastination sometimes gets better of us! Blame it on the weather:)

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  3. I've heard from a few sources that it's good to wait to do your research. Like, wait until you have finished your first draft, or halfway through your first draft. As Donna said, research can cause over-thinking. Too much research and it can have a way of taking over.

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  4. I'm bad at research. There's a specific detail I needed for my WIP, but instead of researching then, I changed the paragraph! I still plan on researching later, but for my own curiosity.

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  5. Yes, sometimes I use social media as a way to procrastinate and not open my manuscript. Hopefully you'll get back into it.

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  6. I love to research! Often it gets in the way of writing and I just have to shut it down and write.

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  7. For some stories, research maybe limited. But for others, a lot of research is needed. But, the value we provide to the readers because of the research outshines the efforts required for it. Besides, we end up learning some new things, which is always welcome :)

    Destination Infinity

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  8. Hi, Rachna,

    No, I'm one of those who LOVE to research. I usually do most of the research first before I begin writing for that project. It's important to know the facts before jumping into a project because having that knowledge will give you a much better flow to your writing.

    But that works for me.

    I think you'll enjoy research more if you get excited about your project. Think of it as icing on the cake. With that knowledge you writing will be that much more desirable and sweeter.

    Good luck with the research. I think once you finally jump in, you will love it.

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  9. I think you're suffering of the same problem I had with my WiP that takes place in India. Procrastination. Probably you feel like I do, that one gets lost in the ocean of information that's out there and you have no idea where to begin. I'm thinking it would be a good idea if you and I have a chat. I know a few things about street dogs and took a course for dog training. Not everything is fresh in my mind but something of what I learn about dog behavior may help you. Besides I'm a dog lover (and cat hater) so I can work a lot of empathy with dogs. I'll be glad to be of service. :)

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  10. I know exactly what you mean. I think that's why I write so much fantasy. It's much easier to make things up than to research topics. In school, I hated research and I still do and only do it when I really need to know something. Of course, one of these days I'll write books that need more research, and I hope I don't procrastinate too much on them.

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  11. If you're in the mood to write I say write. There's bound to be times when you feel less inclined and research will be a nice break.

    mood
    Moody Writing

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  12. Thanks for mentioning CassaFire's sale!
    Maybe talking to someone who knows a lot about cats and dogs would be more enticing than just online research?

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  13. Donna, I am going to watch a lot of You Tube videos featuring cats and dogs.

    Rahul, I am already blaming the weather and my cold for all my procrastination problems.

    Lynda, I agree that too much research can cause the over-thinking problem which will affect my writing.

    Annalisa, nice to meet another research hater :)

    Natalie, I will have to research soon or else I will constantly worry about getting some facts
    wrong.

    Stephen, I think I need to borrow some research love from you :)

    Rajesh, I agree that research provides new insight and value. Wish I could get over my reluctance to research soon.

    Michael, I am quite excited about this project. I have been studying street dogs from far and watching their behaviour.

    Al, I am definitely going to take you up on that offer. Will chat with you on FB in a day or two or whenever you have the time. Thanks a lot.

    Cherie, like you I too like fantasy, easier to make up things than research.

    Mooderino, I am going to do that, research when I am less inclined to write.

    Alex, I will be chatting with Al soon. He has offered to help me with research.

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  14. I'm being forced to procrastinate…gotta love toddlers, still even without them, I'm quite good at it. There's always something else I can do, ugh. Researching though? I like, when I have the time that is, I enjoy researching. Getting my butt down to write and not be interrupted is the challenge.

    Best of luck, my advice is ridiculous really...but I think it will work: get your behind on that chair and research, woman! lol I know…thank me later :P

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  15. Like some of the others I love to do research and often it gets me sidetracked into looking up all sorts of other things. I guess I use research to procrastinate the writing I need to do.

    Lee
    A Few Words

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  16. No, I can get lost in research. I love learning new things. For me it's discipling myself to the task at hand.

    Something a friend of mine does is once she's finished writing for the day she takes about a half hour and looks up those things she's made a list of for research and do abit. She says it relaxes her and jumpstarts creativity in another way.

    Sia McKye Over Coffee

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  17. I try not to get too upset about the amount of time I spend researching. I write science fiction, and so some of the things I have to research (star formation, astrobiology, quantum physics) can take a long time for me to understand. I always know the end result will be better writing, even if I end up a little behind schedule.

    -James.

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  18. I wish I had some tidbits of wisdom for you . . . but I stink at research too. Maybe some tea or coffee would help? Best of luck to you!

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  19. I am a master at procrastination. My latest stall is on edits. I'll trade you tasks. I love doing research. haha.

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  20. Procrastination hits everyone at one point or another. Don't worry about it.

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

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  21. I sometimes get too tied up in the research I forget to do the writing! Which might not be a bad thing, except the research tends to take me off at tangents - another form of procrastination perhaps!

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  22. I love research, so I cannot relate to your procrastination, sorry. Hey Rachna, thanks for paying me a visit and I hope you find a way to delve deep into your research.

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  23. I love research...so much so that it sometimes distracts from my actual writing. I was a history major after all:) If you need any help, just let me know:)

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