distractions

Television is the bane of all writers.

You sit in front of it to watch one show, and make the mistake of flicking through the channels to see what else is on. Next thing you know you’re sucked into watching a film you’ve seen ten times before, or an obscure programme about folding clothes, or a bizarre documentary on a species of blowfish that perform card tricks.

This is why taping programmes, or using a TiVo (Sky+ in Europe) to record your shows is a smart move. Not only can you eliminate advertisements, but you can watch your favourites after you’ve achieved your quota for the day and deserve such a reward. I should do this more often.

I have an iron rule to which I adhere: no day-time television. Since I work from my home this is an imperative, or else I would get nothing done.

Soon, I’m going to have to restrict my use of the Internet. There are too many sites to visit and blogs to read. In short: too many ways to waste time and avoid writing.

As before, work is progressing, but not quickly enough. I will have to be very tough in order to make my deadline for this weekend. It’s hard to generate so much creative work while cutting down on free time to relax and give your brain a break.

I’m also stymied somewhat by the fact that I tend to write better later in the day. I can write at any time, if I set my mind to it, but generally I find myself slipping into a pattern of seriously cracking into my story late at night. I can quite easily write from 10pm to 4am, or midnight to 6 am if I’m on a roll. The problem is that the everyday world doesn’t work to that schedule, so the end result is that I get less sleep… and this isn’t good when I’m depending on my brain to be creative.

Well, I’m off now to find ways to distract myself before I knuckle down to the task at hand.