I used to think writing was a solitary
occupation. Before the Internet and email it must have been. Now however,
technology allows us to write BUT also keep in touch with a worldwide writing
community from the comfort of your office, or in fact, anywhere!
I can’t
tell you the number of amazing people I have met through my writing. The
community of romance writers and READERS is one of the strongest and most
supportive I have ever had the privilege to be a member of.
I sit in my home-office in the Hawkes Bay, New
Zealand and I can ‘chat’ with other authors and readers all over the world.
I’ve made some lovely friends and read some authors I would never have found
without the Internet.
However, there is a drawback. Sometimes it’s
difficult to turn the email or Skype off! You have to be disciplined and
ruthless about your time, especially when on deadline. I’m the first to admit I
suck at ignoring email. My mail program is always open and I just have to read
that new email – it might be something really important – yeah right.
One of my fellow writers in my book in 50 Days
writing group even got her husband (a computer
expert) to set up her internet so it was turned off from 8am to 1pm each day – her writing time – and then it would turn back on. There was no way she could override it. He even fixed her phone too. Now that is extreme.
I like what my friend and fellow kiwi writer
Natalie does. She shoots off to a hideaway with no Internet access to get the
book finished by her deadline.
My mentor Gracie O’Neil takes herself off to the
local coffee shop and writes. Unfortunately, most coffee houses now have free
wireless Internet but not in the little town of Waihi.
Me – well, personally I simply close all programs
and allow myself the treat of opening it at break times. Morning tea, lunch and
afternoon tea. I’m about to do that today, as I’m on deadline with two books due
in the next six weeks.
What are some of your tricks you use when trying
not to let email and the Internet distracts you?
4 comments:
I do what you do, Bron - turn everything off until I'm done writing for the day.
This post will definitely resonate with the writers among us!
OMG! E-mail and Facebook are such time sucks!! I make promises that I won't look till I'm done writing for the day. Sometimes I stick to it, sometimes I don't. It's a plague, all these electronic interruptions!! Great post.
I don't write drafts on my computer, just use an alphasmart and try to stay fifty feet from my computer.
It always works! (Remember I write fantasy.)
Hi Bron, You are correct, the romance writing community is full of great people. A few years ago I wouldn't have thought I could be "friends" with someone I'd never met - certainly not true. Romancing The Genres has taught me that.
Email - I check in the a.m. and before bed and depending on what is going on, several times in between. But I do not have the thingy connected that "notifies" me when something comes into my 'in box'. That would be soo distracting and drive me crazy.
Social media - not so much. I've made a couple of serious attempts to engage myself with FB but that hasn't been successful.
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