Goines On: Procrastination

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An abundantly talented writer friend of Goines had shared several impressive story beginnings with him, but so far the man had given up on the stories before they could develop and come to their own conclusion. He confessed to being a procrastinator – if “confessed” was the right word, for he seemed almost proud of it – and seemed unable to buckle down and finish a story.
    Was his friend taking nocebos rather than placebos? To Goines, the metaphor was clear. Patients on a medication whose beneficial properties are emphasized often experience those benefits, even when fake pills (“placebos”) are substituted for actual medications, and patients on a medication whose potential negative side effects are emphasized often experience those negatives even when fake pills (“nocebos”) are substituted. Medical researchers had verified both placebo and nocebo effects through controlled experiments, and attributed them to the power of people’s beliefs and emotions to produce outcomes.
    The procrastinator was smart and had nearly as varied life experiences as Goines, whose parents had fewer means, and had traveled more widely than Goines. He was a retired professor of English, and knew much more about literature than Goines did. Was he comparing himself disadvantageously with writers like Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Faulkner? Probably, given that he had taught their work to college students as well as lectured abroad. That could be a real bummer.
    Goines wanted to help his friend. What could he say to encourage him? What could he do to spark him to renounce his procrastination and finish those promising stories?
    Was he so afraid that a finished story would be rejected that he was (unconsciously) protecting himself from rejection by leaving them unfinished and forgiving himself for it because, after all, “I am a procrastinator”?
    To Goines the key seemed to be to help his friend believe in himself, believe that he could finish those stories, and they would be good enough for a magazine or a journal or a book publisher to publish them.
    But Goines doubted his friend could be helped by friendly advice. Goines could advise himself and influence his own outcomes, but so far the only evidence he had that he had helped his friend was his friend’s expressions of appreciation for Goines’ support and encouragement – no stories had gotten finished. His friend was going to have to make his own difference.

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