My Worst Trait Seems to be Quite Prevalent As of Late

My name is Madhuri Blaylock and I am a procrastinator.

[most of the time, this is my motto.  were I to tattoo this on my body, I don't think anyone would bat an eyelash]

I have probably always been a procrastinator but the trait became quite noticeable in college when one could almost always find me in the suite of my kitchen in 600 with my roommate, Sarah, our friend Jana, and sometimes joining our trio, Liz and Eunice, chain smoking Marlboro reds (because we were cool like that), drinking pots of black coffee (because we’re Barnard women and we love everything black) and doing the New York Times crossword puzzle instead of sitting in class, listening to our professors’ lectures, taking notes and preparing for exams. I consistently waited until the last minute to get my shit together.

I did the same thing in law school, which can get kind of interesting when you’re drafting a one hundred and fifty page note for your school’s Journal of Law and Policy, have waited until the last minute to complete it, only to have your computer crash and lose your work.

Procrastination is ugly, people.

And I seem to be in the midst of a horrible case of it right now as I am finding anything else to do but write Book III: The Prophecy.

Which is not because I don’t know how to start it or how it ends, I know both. I’ve already started it and I knew how it would end before this whole thing even began. I even know a lot of the middle, although if I’m being really honest, most of the middle will write itself as it happens, but the ideas are there, the story lines are already plotted.

So what gives?

I’m thinking it’s probably a case of being a little sad about saying goodbye to Wyatt, Dev and the crew, so putting off the inevitable as long as I possibly can.

Instead, since May 15th when I released The Boy and should have started working on The Prophecy, I have been blogging about random shit, reading other people’s books, engaging in Twitter conversations with friends and sometimes even my favorite authors (Laini freaking Taylor, bitches!)  or hot-as-shit actors (HOLLA, Michael Kelly aka Doug Stamper aka Badass) , starting blog tours, and generally wasting time online (which probably isn’t really wasting time since I’m always promoting The Girl and The Boy, but still. Come on, Madhuri. Get writing already).

I could go on, but you get my drift. I am in full-on avoid mode.

But today I must admit, I’m starting to get that itch. That feeling in the pit of my stomach. That little something, calling me back to my manuscript and chapter three, which is just sitting there, all blank and lonely, longing for me to draft just a few paragraphs, a few sentences even.

Oh shit.

I just remembered what happens in chapter three and how much I so do NOT want to go there.

Hmmmm.

Maybe I’ll go check out Borough Press’s #bookaday campaign after all…