As we’ve discussed, inertia can work for your writing or against it. If you’re on a red-hot streak, it’s easier to keep going (which is why it’s so important to write every day like clockwork). Conversely, if you stop writing, it takes ten times the effort to start again.

Usually, writers stop because of doubt, neurosis, excuses, (insert your own personal writing-related psychological issues here). Much worse than these, however, are a class of excuses that crop up when things are going great.

Lately I’ve been lured from the keyboard to do interviews and other publicity for GHOSTS, GEARS, and GALACTICA. Now that GHOSTS is out, everything is getting more or less back to normal. I’ve slowly been re-building momentum as the hype subsides.

Usually if I’m not writing, I’m eventually overwhelmed by guilt and I get back to it posthaste. But with publicity it’s easy to fool yourself into believing that you are writing. Heck! It’s probably even good for your career!

But thinking like that is dangerous.

Sure it’s necessary. Sure it feels great to soak up the limelight. And sure, it might get my work in front of new readers…

…But it’s not writing. It’s writing about writing—which may be the ultimate way writers fool themselves into not writing.

Well, enough of this. Draw your own conclusions. I have to get back to writing MORTAL COILS.