Each day presents innumerable distractions and tasks for a writer. Sure, writers face challenges such as signing on with an agent, going through numerous revisions and the challenge of marketing yourself and your story…but none of those things ever will be a reality unless you overcome the biggest obstacle of all–managing your schedule so you actually have time to write (consistently).
Thing is, the To-Do list is a seductive beast. It’s nice to have ten or twenty items ready to be checked off. As the list grows shorter, you gain a sense of accomplishment. Mowing the lawn. Shoveling snow off the walk. Cooking dinner. Laundry. Your day job, perhaps. And, of course, actually writing. Yeah, there’s the rub. Your work in progress? It’s not going to magically write itself while you’re being productive elsewhere.
So where is your productive time being invested? Are you fiddling with your website layout for the hundredth time? Are you browsing other author websites and feeding your envy at their latest award wins and five-star reviews? It’s funny how household chores, grocery shopping, walking the dog and otherwise all suddenly become much more appealing compared to the prospect of sitting your butt in a chair and facing a blank page with the cursor flashing menacingly.
It’s tempting to lose yourself in a whirl of productivity. Sure, you’re getting things done, and yes, sometimes these things do pop up at the top of the priority list, but are they constantly bumping your writing down to the fifth or tenth spot? Therein lies the danger. If you make a habit of putting off writing, then it’s going to suffer in the long term.
What distracts me, for instance? Lots of things. Things that, on the surface, could be seen as harmless and innocent investments of my time. Like my Speculative Fiction Examiner column. It takes time to read review copies and post reviews, to interview authors and track the going-ons of the publishing and genre industry. It’s time I really enjoy spending, because those are all things I love to do. But I have had to put the column on hiatus on occasion in order to not let it overshadow my own writing. Other hobbies, such as computer gaming, and especially blogging and Twitter, can be a real time sink if I’m not careful.
So what are your time vices? What are those things that lure you away from the keyboard or your notepad? Take a good look at the top ten things on your To-Do list. Are they actually necessities, or are they distractions? There will always be more chores. There will always be games to play and parties to attend. But there won’t always be time to write your next story unless you put it on the top of your list more often than not.
I am a blogger, not a writer.
Distraction is the very stuff of blogging, so it suits very well.
Well constructed post.
Plenty to think about.
Interesting point about blogging. I suppose you constantly have to be researching, browsing and otherwise to continually produce blog material on a regular basis. And you're right, it's very different from writing a novel or other similar work.
But you could easily say that all the other writing-related things you do – blogging, the Examiner column, etc – can function as important aspects of your career, since you're getting yourself out there. They're also writing exercises. They may be secondary, but they have their uses towards your ultimate purpose.
They're exercises, yes, and they can help the overall career…but there is no career if I let them get in the way of writing the actual story. That's where the balance comes into play. So, yes, so long as they are done in moderation, they're helpful. Once they take over, though, they can hurt the main goal.
Hard sometimes to know if it's distraction or cross-pollination…
Definitely, Shelley. I think it's different for every writer. In fact, I know some writers who need a lot of distractions going on around them in order to be productive. Music and television playing at the same time…web browsing, chatting…that's the mental state they need to be in to get the writing flowing. All that input can, at times, improve the output.
The trick is finding where you are on that spectrum of distraction vs. inspiration.
Blogging is also much more a multimedia experience.
I started a blog because I wanted to share photos online.