Distractions, Deadlines, and Writers

Many people recommend creating deadlines for yourself or partnering with another author who will keep you motivated through competition. These are valid methods of getting writing done and work for some folks. Personally, unless I’m working against a paid deadline, I know I won’t keep those arbitrary deadlines because I feel no motivation to do so. As far as finding a friend to motivate me I have done that once when I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). As with all good intentions, after we completed the writing of our separate novels nothing moved past the fact that we did it, ‘life’ got in the way.

If I was to make a list of all the excuses for not writing, a good portion of them would be chalked up to distractions. I see it daily on the social networks when I’m not writing but listening to what is going on. “The baby let me write XXX words today,” “There was a great show I couldn’t miss so I didn’t write today,“ etc. The list goes on and on. It’s easy to get distracted by the daily events of life such as bills, the stress of the day job, etc.

Think about when the best to get distracted is when you are writing. It’s when its getting hard to write or suddenly a character does something out of character for what you’d imagined them to be and you know you can’t railroad them. Might as well just take break, right?

It’s easy to take a break and become distracted when things get tough for us, and you must choose not to fall let that happen.  I am not saying to ‘force’ your work when you are writing, but don’t be let them run you over either.
If your character makes some arbitrary choice that goes against his/her personality then explore that. If you’re hammering home that non fiction article when suddenly it takes a different tack, explore it. Don’t run away.

I can’t tell you where the line is drawn for ‘forcing’ your work. It’s that invisible line that readers pick out of the ether like bloodhounds on the scent of a prisoner. If you feel like you’re forcing it, then you probably are. Walk away from your work for ten minutes and come back.

You must choose to write and get things done. It’s that simple.

Creative Space

There are a multitude of authors who have created a space where they feel they do their best work, a place with minimal distractions. This is not a necessity by any means. I’ve read some authors began with nothing more than a laundry closet and a typewriter table, washer & dryer included of course.

My early career as a writer/journalist began at a dining room table with an electric typewriter. Before that it was multiple notebooks of varying size and too many pens to count. Fast forward 20 years and I now have a desk, laptop, and still too many pens to count. I have also added quite a few book shelves to my collection of writing tools. All are within easy reach of my desk for reference.

Creative spaces and distractions come in many shapes. What distracts one writer might be necessary for another writer to get the mood going. It comes down to one thing: find a place where you’re comfortable writing. If that’s in a crowded café on Main Street or a crowded bus with notebook in hand then so be it.

Some authors are happy to write in coffee shops or restaurant. To fit my personal tastes I have a room with a door that can be closed and a selection of music that I thoroughly enjoy. People in my home understand that if the door is closed then I’m not to be disturbed unless it involves fire, flood, or blood, or some type of food offering.

Distractions: Creativity Killers

If you’re dealing with distractions, you’re not writing. I mentioned the importance of your personal creative space in the previous section, but we often bring ‘creative killers’ right into our space without realizing it. We’re like a bad thriller film victim. We’re oblivious to all the obvious clues that we are in danger. We tell ourselves saying we are ‘multi-tasking’ or, the one I like, ‘It’s just for a minute (usually referring to social networks).’

The truth is that we are lying to ourselves. When we sit down to write, we should do just that.

Here’s how:

• Turn the cell phone off. Some of the best advice on distractions came from none other than Chris Brogan in his post Distractions are Yours to Manage. One key element he mentioned was silencing the cell phone. I read that and I wanted to bang my head on the desk repeatedly for doing exactly the opposite. I was great about turning off the social networks and not checking emails etc. Do you know why? Because I was accessing them via my cell phone which was on my desk in plain view so I wouldn’t miss something.
• Close the Social Networks and Email. We’ve spoken about applications in my posts on social networking for writers. Well, here’s the point where I digress and tell you to shut it all down. I am sure you knew already it would come at some point. Regardless, this is the point when we need to ignore the outside world and just write.
• Use an RSS reader or Instapaper to keep up with blogs. Another distraction — the one that sucks up my time when I least expect it — is reading blogs. Blogs can be awesome resources, but if you spend a lot of time reading them, then you’re obviously not writing. To avoid this I have two recommendations: First, use an RSS reader. (Google Reader is a good one.) An RSS reader makes it possible for you to subscribe to blogs you like and read their blog posts at your convenience, without having to worry about missing anything. Second, if you see something that piques your interest, use Instapaper to save the page and read it later. Both are tools that help you stay connected and informed, but on your schedule, so that you get back to writing.

So why are you still here?! Get back to writing. We’ll see you next week.

6 Responses to ““Squirrel!” Managing your distractions & get back to writing”

1. Alicia Caldwell
   May 9th, 2011 @ 10:41 am

   Thanks for the inspiration. Gonna stop being distracted (by such great blogs as this) and go write!

2. John F Taylor
   May 10th, 2011 @ 12:26 am

   Alicia, just use a reader or instapaper and it makes it easier. Thanks for commenting.

3. bridgid
   May 10th, 2011 @ 2:42 pm

   Distractions! Such a great topic, John.

   Since I’m often on the road — camping, flying, traveling, etc. — I’ve had to learn how to manage my time and get to work even in the most distracting of situations. My ear buds are ESSENTIAL. I can pop them in and get to work on my laptop with almost anything going on around me.

   I also love Google Reader! I can keep up with blogs while I’m on the road, and read posts on my own schedule. It rocks!

   Great post!

4. Jessica W
   May 10th, 2011 @ 3:11 pm

   Got my 1,500 words done just as the landscapers in our condo complex showed up with the #%*)#% leaf blowers. Rain or shine, with or without leaves, every Tuesday I can count on 90-200 minutes of five gas-powered leaf blowers. I mutter unkind things about them under my breath and then go read blogs. Thanks for the reminder about distractions. Distractions are my hardest thing to manage–second only to life/writing balance. (I need to get better about separating working from not working hours).

5. John F Taylor
   May 10th, 2011 @ 8:31 pm

   Jessica, I can empathize with the leaf blower thing. I lived in a town house awhile back and every morning about 9:00 am the groundskeepers would fire up machinery somewhere nearby. It was not easy.
   Brigid, ear buds have saved many a story for me as well. I think the inventor of those deserves an award!

6. Step Away…from the Electronics! : Inky Fresh Press
   May 22nd, 2011 @ 8:07 am

   [...] might remember in my first Tough Love for Freelance Writers post, I mentioned my early beginnings which included notebooks and too many pens. I used to write [...]

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