Lulu Blog » writer’s block

Author Tips: Avoiding Digital Distractions

Gavin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:34:57 +0000

As an author trying to complete a third book, I have to admit that one of the hardest things this time around has been avoiding digital distractions like: Facebook, Twitter, IM, Email, Angry Birds, DVR’d Shows, Skype, etc, etc, etc.

Chances are you may have seen the following cartoon image of a man sitting in front of a typewriter trying to finish a research paper. A short distance away from him is THE INTERNET with its bright lights, a girl in a bikini, dinosaur, two fighter jets and a birthday cake. The image highlights an experience many of us have felt at one time or the other when trying to write – namely, the Internet’s ability to be highly distracting and totally awesome!

There is currently a great deal of debate on the impact the Internet has on our ability to focus, with authors like Nicholas Carr and Cathy N. Davidson offering different perspectives on the issue. Whether the Internet is truly making it harder for us to concentrate on a single task is arguable. I can say, however, that I’ve wasted plenty of hours on the Internet while trying to “write.”

So what is an author to do when the multitude of distractions constantly “lurks behind your screen, one alt-tab away from your word-processor?” Blogger, journalist, and Lulu author Cory Doctorow addresses this question in a column for LOCUS online entitled “Writing in the Age of Distraction.” As a prolific writer whose job dictates almost constant access to the web, Doctorow outlines techniques he’s used for years to help manage one’s need to access the Internet while having to write. I highly recommend Doctorow’s column to anyone who has felt distracted while trying to write.

Doctorow’s full column can be viewed here.

Writing Exercise: 750 Words

Carol — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:27:18 +0000

A few months back, I came across an article on Lifehacker about a new web app created by Buster Benson called 750 Words. Once I read that Benson’s app could help writers like me get back into daily journaling, I was hooked. In the Lifehacker article, Gina Trapani expalined that “every day, you type 750 words—the equivalent of three pages…. whatever you want, free writing.” I loved this idea.

Often, I find myself staring down a blank page with a topic rattling around in my head, clouded by a million other thoughts. I was already laying down the groundwork for the upcoming Script Frenzy challenge and thought this would be a great way to get focused and write like I’ve never written before. And it’s really helped.

The days I haven’t written my daily quota, I struggle. It takes me longer to say what I want and I stumble along the way. It’s harder for me to focus and stay motivated. But the days I’ve tackled this writing exercise I fly through pages. The words flow with ease and I’m less stressed about what shows up on the screen.

One of the things I really love about this site are the graphs. Stats are extracted from your writing and displayed after you meet your daily goal. They show you how you are feeling, what you are concerned about, what your mindset is, and highlight your frequently used words. The 750 Words webapp also times you and tracks how many distractions you’ve had. (You can see a sample of my daily stats on the left.) For me, this feature is invaluable when it comes to dissecting my daily brain dump.

If you’ve been wondering how to take your writing to the next level, I highly recommend you try writing 750 words a day.

My Epic Battle with “The Nothing”

Carol — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:51:11 +0000

The blank page with its vast, open space is looking back at me with an unblinking stare. Now I’m consumed by the fear and panic caused by the possibility of missing a deadline. I’ve got it, writer’s block, and it ain’t pretty. I know we’ve all hit the wall of supreme nothingness before, so this isn’t new, but what do you do when you find yourself with a blank page sneering at you and nothing in your brain?

This year I attempted my first NanoWriMo and quit when I realized that writer’s block was killing my story. I had restarted my novel three times before I realized I would not meet the deadline at the end of the month. Writer’s block can be a force so supreme, like “The Nothing” in the NeverEnding Story, that whole civilizations and entire universes can be devoured by its existence!

In an attempt to defeat the monster, I poked around on the internet and discovered a few tips that I thought to be very helpful.

New media maven, Mur Lafferty, has encountered the dreaded block and overcome the beast. In her podcast, I Should Be Writing, she shares, “I remembered that one of the cures for writer’s block is very Tao: do not bang your head up against the rock to move it. Just go around it. If I can’t work on the story that is going nowhere, I’ll work on something else.”

Apryl Duncan of www.FictionAddiction.net shared some tips on Absolute Write, saying that perfectionism “will win you an all-expense paid trip to Writer’s Block Island.” The cure, she says, is to give it a few days until your mind is “fresh and clear, giving you a whole new perspective on your own writing.” More tips from Duncan include re-reading some of your previous works, a change of scenery, and rewriting another’s work.

A few years back when I was studying film, my professor, Brad Boll taught me that the best cure for writer’s block was to jot down fleeting thoughts you have throughout the day and keep them in an “Idea Envelope.” This way, when the block hits you, pull out a little nugget of inspiration and continue on your way. Today I pulled out a little nugget that said “Victory over the unknown.”

It appears that I have won the battle this time and conquered writer’s block by exposing the beast for what it is. I would love to hear your cures for defeating writer’s block too. Please feel free to post your ideas in the comments section below.