I am pleased to announce that my writing has ascended to a higher plane.
I used to do my novel revision downstairs, but we were painting that room, so we had to move all the furniture out. And we’re keeping everything out for a couple weeks since we’re going to install new carpet too. So my computer’s upstairs. See, when I said “ascended,” I meant I had literally taken my computer and…
What? You already got it? It wasn’t funny? You’re tapping your watch impatiently?
If it’s any consolation, this story has a point.
See, I have Internet access downstairs (which is how I’m posting this now, from my lap-top laptop) but not upstairs. I’m doing my writing on a disconnected computer.
I’m really surprised how much better that is.
I mean, I’ve heard other people talk about it. “Disconnect thy Internet,” they intone ominously, “lest thou be distracted by its sparkliness.” Pshaw, I thought. I was (and am) self-disciplined enough that I could still get my hour of writing time in. See, I use a stopwatch to make sure I write a full hour (or half hour, or two hours, or whatever time I’m shooting for that day, depending on how much free time I have) and if I get interrupted or feel the need to surf, I pause the stopwatch. That way, I’m sure that an hour really means an hour. And once I got into that habit, I wasn’t stopping my watch for surfing very much anymore. Writing time really was writing time.
But here’s the thing – there actually is a mental difference (for me, at least) between not using the Internet and not having the Internet. When I have the Internet, I still use it for little things, like looking up words and synonyms, and using Google for research. And those are useful tools, don’t get me wrong. But they always carry the temptation of doing more, surfing more, and it takes mental energy to fight that. And even these small disruptions, writing-related though they may be, are not actually writing. It’s a kind of distraction.
Having no Internet at all enforces a sort of mental austerity. It’s liberating. You’re here to write, and you write. You have a job to do, and you do it.
I am a fan of that.
Oh, by the way, I used to use Online Stopwatch for the aforementioned stopwatchery, and I’ve found it extremely useful. But that’s tricky now sans Interwebs. Anyone know of another smart way to do this, short of actually buying a physical stopwatch?
Second pass revision status: 59% (write faster, penmonkey!!)
Brian D. Buckley 