01.08.2009 | Blog : Anne Stameshkin, Blog, lit and tech
distractions while writ…*clicks away*
By Anne Stameshkin
Cory Doctorow defends the Internet, saying the worst piece of writing advice he ever received was to stay away from it. He offers some solid tips for avoiding distractions while writing and setting small, attainable daily goals.
How distracted are you by IM, skype, blogs, email, internet research etc. while trying to write? Are you more tempted by online or off-line distractions? How (and how successfully) do you resist them?
You know how distracted I am by the Internet — I think my Internet-wallowing is legendary — but I completely agree with Cory Doctorow and do everything he says in his article *except* “Don’t research,” which is just too hard for me. I find that by following his first rule, however, I’ve been able to cut down on research that leads to tangents and more tangents *while writing* — if I just have a couple of internet-free hours (3 hours is the most I’ll do in a given day, and I find that without the internet it tends to be 3 hours of straight writing and very little staring at the screen), I then have the whole rest of the day to pursue research of questionable relevance, without interrupting the rhythm of the actual writing. And the relevance of much faffing about on the Internet isn’t always immediately apparent — lots of stuff I’ve initially classified as “wasting time” has eventually found its way, on some level, into my writing, and that’s what I love about the Internet. Without it, I would never have come across those possibilities.
The rule I most agree with? Spurn ceremoniousness. I suppose it must work for some people, the rituals, the candles, the Stonehenge configurations of notebooks and stationery, so I shouldn’t knock it, but I really kind of hate even hearing about it.
“Don’t research” doesn’t work for me, because I just get distracted by Not Knowing. In fact, often a quick Google provides me with the facts I wanted AND surprising tidbits of information that spark new ideas.
But I DO agree with Doctorow when he says “[The Internet has] informed my creativity and aesthetics, it’s benefited me professionally and personally, and for every moment it steals, it gives back a hundred delights.” Like Preeta, even when I feel I’ve wasted an hour (or 5) reading pointless stuff, it often does come back into my work later on. In fact, I have a del.ico.us tag for “story seeds.”
The best productivity aid I’ve found so far–until I grow some self-control–is Leechblock. If you use Firefox, you can install this plug-in to block whatever sites you want, for a specified amount of time, or during certain hours of certain days. I turn it on, and turn off Gmail, until I’ve worked a good couple of hours.
It was hard for me to get past this part:
“Writing a page every day gets me more than a novel per year — do the math — and there’s always 20 minutes to be found in a day, no matter what else is going on.”
So not only does he write an entire page in 20 minutes, but his 20-minute pages are good enough to make a novel at the end of the year? He’s either a god, a liar, or a writer of really crappy books.
PS: I’m just jealous.
I haven’t read the piece yet, but to answer the question you’ve posed: It’s WAY too much of a distraction for me/my writing. One of many things I need to address in 2009. I seem to be physically incapable of starting my computer and writing anything without checking e-mail, and in the morning, I absolutely MUST check blogs, and so on, and so forth. Beyond sheer self-discipline, anyone have any suggestions? Suggestions that would still allow me to come by and visit Fiction Writers Review (often!)?
I should have posted the link for Leechblock in my earlier post. And am I the only one who’s thinking about using GMail’s Mail Googles to stop myself from frivolous emailing when I’m supposed to be writing?
Thanks, Celeste. May be worth a try!