I can’t believe this. After all the blogs about pushing yourself out there, of facing the adversity of the publishing field, I suddenly awoke to the fact (as a drunk wakes in a gutter and sees what he’s become) that I’ve been putting off submitting my agent packets.

First it was a train show. Then the new computer arrived. And I’ve been cross-loading my files and playing glass-smooth Spelunky. And also weeding the yard, running a  5K race, finishing a “Thrones” book, all sorts of things.

It turns out that the best thing you can do for yourself is to make a deal with your devil (as to what you need to get done) and then make that deal public. Mentally vowing to lose 10 lbs during a boozy New Year’s party won’t do it, but standing on a windswept parapet and shouting your intentions to the world will keep you honest.

Yes, I drive myself through shame-avoidance.

It works.

Years ago, I took a week-long improvement class called EST. One of the things was to make a commitment to do something and then do it. In fact, part of that commitment was to write a check to charity and give it to a friend, with instructions that if you didn’t do your thing by a specific date, that check would go into the mail. For me, the goal was a pilots’ license. The check? $500 to a charity (don’t remember which, but that was a LOT of money back in the ‘80s when I did this). I gave this to my good friend Joy, and once I earned that license, Joy and her family and I had a check-burning party.

So that’s what I’m doing. By the next DOG EAR, I’m going to have three submissions posted. If I don’t, I’ll give $1000 to the Sierra Club. This I vow.

>>>WITH $2 PROFIT PER SALE, I’M GOING TO NEED TO MOVE 500 “EARLY RETYREMENTS” BEFORE THEN. SAVE ME FROM MY BIG MOUTH! BUY A BOOK!<<<