Distractions To Writing

I was reading my latest e-mail newsletter from WritersMarket and they had an interesting piece showing the results of a survey from the previous newsletter asking readers who are writers what distractions they have to writing.

The answers are pretty typical; e-mail, web surfing (we call it "research", lol), cell phone, TV and family. I've been a victim of all of those and would have to add my dog and cat in there as well.

But here's what I've tried to do to minimize those distractions. I can multi-task pretty well, so I've discovered I can watch TV and do research or answer e-mail at the same time (especially if I'm watching something I DVR'd so I can rewind in case I slip deeply into a reply or research issue). I also keep my Bluetooth on my ear as much as possible so that I can continue to work handsfree while on the cellphone. If I have errands to run, I try to run them in the morning so I can write in the afternoon or evening, because I am definitely not a morning person and that time is best left to tasks that do not require creativity. I also try to do most of my research in the mornings for the same reason.

Of course that all goes out the window when I am working out of town. Then, nights and weekends become my only time to research and write and time gets drastically compressed.

Bottom line; there ARE distractions, but they can be dealt with if you want to write.

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