What Distracts Me

This week we're supposed to talk about writing distractions. I think it would have been easier for me to write about what doesn't distract me. Actually, this post probably would have been empty. Because I can find something interesting in a paperclip if I'm supposed to be writing.

Take this post for instance. I could have simply written a paragraph or two about Twitter and TV, but instead Photoshop distracted me with all the pretty fonts! and pictures! and now this post comes to you with visual aids.

Let's start with the biggest distraction, shall we?

Nothing makes me happier than Twitter. Writing at the same desk everyday in the same house surrounded by the same people can be depressing. Twitter makes me feel less alone.

Plus, it's nice knowing you're not the only crazy writer person out there.

If you know me, you know I am boy crazy. I like my Gosling. My Worthington. My Pitt (it's Michael these days). So this one will certainly not shock you.

I don't have to explain this one.

Or this one. 

I call it imagery research. My husband calls it staring off into space. What does he know?

I really have no excuse for this one. Except that I'm a girl. 

Jennifer Rush is the author of ALTERED coming Fall 2012 from Little, Brown. Check out her blog for news and updates.

My Writing Distraction: Checklists

Sometimes it seems like I can only write if I get everything else done first.

Emails
Phone Calls
Twitter/Facebook (I'm an author now, this is "professional" social networking)
Laundry
Paying Bills
Washing Dishes
More Emails
Reading Books (for "research")
Exercise

I wouldn't say I have one particular vice I go to in order to avoid writing. I'm usually so busy with all these other things, I feel too guilty to spend precious time on Angry Birds. I guess I need to feel I've wasted my time productively.  When my husband gets home at the end of the day, I can list off a whole bunch of things I accomplished! That always feels good until he asks if I got any writing done. :\

The best piece of advice I've received on this so far has been: Make sure you put your writing first. This induces a struggle because...if the writing doesn't get done, nothing else will get done! And if nothing else gets done, my life will grind to a halt! And if my life grinds to a halt, how will I ever write my next book? Etc, etc...

But you know what? All The Things will still be there after I've reached my word count. And as easy as chores and checking off to-do lists may be COMPARED to writing? They're not anywhere near as satisfying to gaze at when they're complete.

Emily Hainsworth is the author of THROUGH TO YOU, (Fall 2012 Balzer+Bray / HarperCollins), a sci-fi novel about a seventeen-year-old boy grieving for his dead girlfriend until he discovers she's still alive in a parallel reality--one where he's the one who died. For more information, visit her website.

Driven to Distraction!

Sometimes I think half of what get discussed among writers is how hard it is to write!!! Resistance to the blank page, to the blinking cursor. We've talked here on the blog about how we face that resistance, but this week is to celebrate distraction!

My favorite distractions tend to come from here, and here, and here:

Now, these first two are the ones I use WHILE writing. I write a scene, then I check out the conversations bouncing around Twitter, I follow interesting links to blogs or articles for awhile, then I gear up to write the next scene. Facebook gets a quick glance. It's only when I land on the last one that I get into trouble, so I try to keep my hulu-watching in the same category as my wine-drinking, that is, firmly after 7pm ;)
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Heather Anastasiu is the author of GLITCH (St. Martin's Press/Summer 2012) Glitch in three words: Dystopia, Superpowers, & Love :) Check out my website for more news and updates.