Procrastination for the Precious

Emily Apuzzo Hopkins | March 21, 2021

For the last several months I have been paralyzed by the fear to revise some of my beloved manuscripts. As I have written before, I finally gave myself over to the creativity I had long been ignoring and allowed myself to write the children’s story (and eventually stories) that had been nagging at me to be put into the written word. It was like a floodgate opening when I finally realized that was what I wanted and needed to do. I found inspiration in everything.

I had “finished” a number of stories and started several more. Then life happened. But then I was reignited and inspired anew - excited to jump back into the fictional fray of storytelling. So I did. I put more ideas into words and on paper. I joined writing groups and shared my work instead of keeping it guarded as I had for so long.

And then I froze. When real and helpful feedback started coming in, I completely and utterly stopped in my tracks. I have been giving the actual tools to make my work better - to refine and whittle it and present it again. And possibly refine and polish some more, yet I find myself too scared to take what I clearly view as precious and edit it at all. I am procrastinating because I am too in love with the preciousness of these children I have birthed through my creativity. And boy, if I know anything, it’s that this mindset just simply won’t do.

So, as I come to terms with the what (my procrastination) and the why (my manuscripts are just too precious to me), I must now combat them both with my how… and figure out exactly what that will be. Small, manageable goals and lists have worked well for me before. I will arm myself with the tools and tricks that have worked well in the past and quite frankly, just get out of my own way.