Embrace the bad to find the good

Here's a short list of things I do to avoid writing: do the dishes; do laundry; do the Internet (Playbill.com, the Drudge Report); read the paper; install shelves; help my kids with their homework; follow the Red Sox; go to the gym; listen to podcasts ("This American Life," "Meet the Press"); call my friends to talk about not writing; write lists.

By Greg Kotis

January 14, 2007