Concerning Tolkien (and Procrastination)

Another way in which Tolkien and I are alike: procrastination. (Actually, I've been meaning to do this post for some time.) Somehow things always managed to come up that made him put off what he was supposed to be doing. It would be weeks before he graded papers, months before he replied to a letter, and years until he finished the sequel to "The Hobbit" (namely "LOTR"). Some of it was perfectionism ("LOTR" is believable mostly because the world is so true to itself, from phases of the moon to distance covered in a day), but a lot of it was just "I'll get to it later."

Tolkien called himself a "notorious beginner of enterprises and non-finisher, partly through lack of time, partly through lack of single-minded concentration..." (I can totally relate.) The fact that he finished "LOTR" was a mystery to him. It may have taken him 14 years, but he did it. That should give me hope.