BellaOnline Forums Career Fiction Writing Biggest Temptation/Distraction When Writing

What is your biggest temptation or distraction when trying to write? Is it television? Organizing the house? Talking on the phone to your friends? Surfing the internet?

For me, it's the internet, hands down. Specifically, Wikipedia. I will be writing and suddenly wonder about a thing or concept I'm trying to describe. And I'll look it up on Wikipedia. One linked definition leads to the next, and I end up reading for far too long.

Hi Val, for me it is someone coming into the room, even if they don't ask a question. No doors - my computer sits in a corner of our great room. At times I can tune everything out, and when I can't I usually take a refreshment break for some tea.

Yes, Susan, I hear you on that one. Sometimes I'll go through a whole exchange with the other person, using half my attention while continuing to write, but if I really need to get something done fast, I have to work behind a closed door.

Internet, hands down! One thing I have started doing has helped a lot. I am fortunate to have a laptop computer as well as a desktop. I've put them in different rooms. I use the laptop for my novel and the desktop for other things. When I'm being very good, I turn off the internet connection on the laptop altogether. And when I'm bad, I'm bad. Gotta check that mail.

Thank you, Maeve, for these very good preventative suggestions! I'm going to personally implement them because you and I have the same temptation. I will also write an article soon about distractions and ways to prevent them.

Yes! Absolutely the internet! And yes, Val, Wiki is where I do some of my research, and like you said, one thing leads to another. I feel so disciplined when I sit down to plan and write my articles, but then the evening is over when my eyes are trying to keep themselves open and I barely did anything I planned on.

I look forward to your article.

Thank you, Allyson! I can totally relate to what you're saying. Wikipedia is my downfall. I can get lost in Wikipedia for hours. I guess you could say that you and I have a strength (we like research) that can turn into a weakness (it's a distraction to which we're susceptible). I'll try to come up with some good ideas for that article.

I look forward to it...oh! and About.com..that has a lot of what I need too. lol..

I love About.com! I get drawn into that site on a regular basis.

Long before the Internet was there to seduce me, research was a major distraction. Even as a child I was a dictionary junkie. I always got in trouble with my teachers when given a dictionary assignment to look up a set number of words. I'd look up the assigned word, but then I'd read the next one and that was so interesting, I'd read the next one or look up a word from the definition that I wasn't sure of. Everyone had finished and I was still on word three. sigh.