Over at his blog, the delightful Jason Arnopp has introduced a new feature for the procrastinating writers of this world.

It’s called Tell Arnopp, and it works like this:

Whenever you’ve completed your writing for the day, you email him saying the type of project you’ve worked on – “World War II Drama” – and the number of pages you’ve written – “Ten”.

(Nothing more than that, mind, just in case he writes something similar one day, and you happen to be a crazy person.)

Arnopp then guarantees that he will read these messages, and will thus become aware of the fact that you’ve done your work for the day. And you will be aware that he’s aware that you’ve done your work for the day.

You therefore know that someone cares about whether or not you’ve been writing rather than procrastinating, without you having to write it down on your blog, twitter, facebook, or significant other. Which can be a bit exposing for some people.

He hopes that this will encourage you to write, as if you don’t do your pages, somewhere in the depths of his brain he will know. And you will thus be encouraged to write today, and every day from now on.

I’d like, though, to offer an easier alternative. It’s called Don’t Tell Beckley, and it works like this:

You don’t send me a damn thing.
I know that you haven’t done enough work today.

My pleasure.