Giveaway and Guest Post with Carol Snow

Please join me as I welcome Carol Snow, author of the fabulously entertaining Just Like Me, Only Better to The Book Chick! If you missed my review of this book, check it out here. Today Carol Snow shares with us her favourite tools of procrastination:

I SHOULD BE WRITING A BOOK, BUT I’LL WRITE THIS BLOG ENTRY INSTEAD


"I am so pleased that the Book Chick has asked me to write about my favorite procrastination tools. Like many writers, I will do just about anything to avoid writing, and it is only fair that I should share some of the techniques I have perfected over the years. I would have had this column in sooner, but – you know.

My sixth book, Just Like Me, Only Better, has just been released, and I’m really excited about it for a couple of reasons: one, because it’s getting great reviews, and two, because I no longer have to stare at the cursor blinking in the middle of a page (at least of this book) as a voice in my head says, “Ohmigod, what happens next? Ohmigod, the stuff I wrote in my plot outline is totally not going to work. Ohmigod, I need Cheetos!”

Just Like Me, Only Better tells the story of Veronica Czaplicki, a suburban single mother who gets hired to impersonate an imploding young Hollywood starlet. I was on a tight deadline while writing this book, which meant I stayed home with my computer pretty much every day. Still, without turning on the TV or flipping through any magazines, I managed to pass large chunks of time without actually producing anything. Here are some of my tried-and-true procrastination techniques:

Drinking tea: Tea is ideal because there are so many steps: boiling, steeping, sweetening. When I get too hopped up on caffeine, I switch to LaCroix sodas. These are basically just flavored seltzer, so they have the benefit of no calories. They also have the benefit of being stored in my outside refrigerator.

Eating chips: In the salt vs. sugar wars, I’ve always come down on the side of sugar, but whenever I get stuck in a manuscript, I need chips of some kind: Doritos, pita chips, plain tortilla strips. I like the sting of salt on my tongue. I also like that I can get just a few chips at a time … over and over again. During Girl Scout cookie season, I switch to thin mints.

Cats: I have two, both quite demanding. They need food, water, love. They need to go out. Then come in. Then go out again. Sometimes they throw up, and I need to stop what I’m doing to clean it up. Just so we’re clear: I would much rather write than deal with cat vomit, so I don’t recommend that as a procrastination technique.

Checking email: Hey, you never know when something just can’t wait. It would be irresponsible to close out my Outlook folder.

Facebook: I just reposted a link of a squirrel running through an obstacle course to the “Mission Impossible” theme song. My friends will thank me.

Other websites: I invest four hours every week in watching American Idol. I owe it to myself to read Television Without Pity’s weecaps. And then there are all those career-related sites: book blogs, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, GoodReads. And what about those Yahoo headlines? Do you really expect me to pass by a news story entitled “A Rabbit Rescue in L.A.”?

In my defense, there are certain procrastination methods that I have managed to avoid, no matter how tempting. These include exercise, paperwork, and cleaning of any kind. I have my standards."

Thanks to Joy at Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting I have 2 copies of Just Like Me, Only Better to give away! Here's how to enter:

1. In a comment, tell me what your favourite method of procrastination is when you don't want to do something. Please include your e-mail address with your comment so that I can contact you if you win. No e-mail=no entry!!

2. *Bonus Entry* Become a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect and leave me a seperate comment letting me know that you follow. Current followers are eligible as well, just leave a seperate comment letting me know that you already follow.

3. *Bonus Entry* Spread the word about this contest in any way that you wish. Twitter about it, blog about it, post it on your sidebar, whatever. Just leave me a seperate comment letting me know how you did it.

This contest runs until midnight on April 30, 2010. It is open to both Canadian and US residents, and winners will be contacted by e-mail. Good luck!