Like many before me, I find my best bet is to wake up about 90 minutes before my own interruptor, who rarely rises before the sun. If I’m lucky, by the time he finally does, I’ve already gotten the hard work done.
I love this, and it feels so true: "could it really be this—I can’t stand the intensity and reverberations of my own mind." So often I am avoiding myself.
Yep. These distractions happen to the best of us. I mean who amongst us had not put on a YouTube yoga Nidra or restorative routine only to find ourselves asleep in the middle of the floor 6 hours later, quite refreshed, yet unsuccessful in writing output.
The mind is a slithery beast! It likes to tempt us away from the Garden and into the worry and distraction zone! I love your reminder of the value of the creative zone, that I’ve been scrupulously avoiding. No wonder then, that I’m an agitated bundle of neurosis. ❤️
Was talking to my partner the other day and wondered if some of our procrastination / house tidying pre writing was actually part of a warm up to the writing.... This absolutely might be a kind lie we're telling ourselves 😂
My intimate interrupter is very good at insisting thing A, B, or C really does have to be done right now. ;)
But in all seriousness, I recognize what you’re saying about the discomfort and then writing into the light and especially how important it is to write to a place where a piece can breathe on its own.
Well I’ve turned off all notifications on my desktop. So that’s a start - and I keep the phone in the next room, so that’s worth at least one koala bear stamp. I’m now thinking how it might work if, whenever I feel the urge to get off the seat and do something that is not writing then to write down on a sheet of paper why I am not not engaged in my writing (must be a proper sentence, no glib bit of tosh) and if you are still so inclined, go and do whatever needs doing. Rinse and repeat. Once you have filled a page with these non-Sitzfleisch activities, you might have some material for a short story.
So funny and so true! I've been trying the reward system. After several hours of focusing in the morning, I let loose with procrastination techniques in the afternoon...
I just assembled, designed, and supervised the production of a 27-poem chapbook to be packaged in two different modes. I did this purely as a way to procrastinate on writing the preface to the second edition of a different chapbook. Like Tom Vandel's inner distractor, mine is sneaky.
At the risk of sounding annoying, something that’s helped me bridge the gap between procrastinating and ‘serious writing’ is journaling. If I can’t convince myself to sit down and continue working on a short story or poem, I can usually convince myself to sit down and divulge the thoughts in my head - even if they’re about a propensity for avoidance. Maybe I’m not as ‘productive’ as I should be, but I am less tortured about my relationship to writing than I was before this.
Interesting! We talk a ton about the differences between journaling and drafting in Office Hours. Huge believer in journaling (even if it’s not directly tied to my writing process).
I love this so much! What a great post! I am good at generating language and getting a draft out. I’m doing the Stafford Challenge this year, and I started when I learned it existed back in November, so generation isn’t an issue, but the hard work of revision must be scheduled! It took me many years to get into a groove with an actual process for getting my writing done. But now I schedule my time and do it - it helps that I have no children to manage, and my household runs on my time, my job has its hours, and my work has a rhythm to it I never really had until I became an empty nester five years ago. It has allowed me to do so much more! But learning to be able to sit is the hardest part! This is why I created Brave Space and offer it 4 times a week right now (I used to do it 6 times a week). People come to sit and generate work. Because sitting and starting is so fraught.
Like many before me, I find my best bet is to wake up about 90 minutes before my own interruptor, who rarely rises before the sun. If I’m lucky, by the time he finally does, I’ve already gotten the hard work done.
It's extraordinarily helpful when you're writing a book. That's how I used to write when I had a job that required me to go into the office every day!
I love this, and it feels so true: "could it really be this—I can’t stand the intensity and reverberations of my own mind." So often I am avoiding myself.
Yes, and don't we talk about this in Office Hours all the time? It's a great relief that we all are the problem (and we all are the medicine).
Yep. These distractions happen to the best of us. I mean who amongst us had not put on a YouTube yoga Nidra or restorative routine only to find ourselves asleep in the middle of the floor 6 hours later, quite refreshed, yet unsuccessful in writing output.
You wrote a nap.
😂😭😁
The mind is a slithery beast! It likes to tempt us away from the Garden and into the worry and distraction zone! I love your reminder of the value of the creative zone, that I’ve been scrupulously avoiding. No wonder then, that I’m an agitated bundle of neurosis. ❤️
You expressed this phenomenon so beautifully! I can relate to the neuroses! 👏💕🍀
I am a sly, sneaky procrastinator. So many rabbit holes to go down before I can focus on writing. Typing this message I procrastinate.
YES. And the productivity procrastinator is a thing! I'm going to write about this for sure someday.
Was talking to my partner the other day and wondered if some of our procrastination / house tidying pre writing was actually part of a warm up to the writing.... This absolutely might be a kind lie we're telling ourselves 😂
I DO think that tidying is hugely helpful to it. But also, see above. 😂
😂😂 Kewl kewl.
My intimate interrupter is very good at insisting thing A, B, or C really does have to be done right now. ;)
But in all seriousness, I recognize what you’re saying about the discomfort and then writing into the light and especially how important it is to write to a place where a piece can breathe on its own.
In other words, love this.
Thank you, Holly!!!
Well I’ve turned off all notifications on my desktop. So that’s a start - and I keep the phone in the next room, so that’s worth at least one koala bear stamp. I’m now thinking how it might work if, whenever I feel the urge to get off the seat and do something that is not writing then to write down on a sheet of paper why I am not not engaged in my writing (must be a proper sentence, no glib bit of tosh) and if you are still so inclined, go and do whatever needs doing. Rinse and repeat. Once you have filled a page with these non-Sitzfleisch activities, you might have some material for a short story.
So funny and so true! I've been trying the reward system. After several hours of focusing in the morning, I let loose with procrastination techniques in the afternoon...
💛
I just assembled, designed, and supervised the production of a 27-poem chapbook to be packaged in two different modes. I did this purely as a way to procrastinate on writing the preface to the second edition of a different chapbook. Like Tom Vandel's inner distractor, mine is sneaky.
The productive procrastinator for the win!
Thank you for your clarity of the components of avoidance. I have all of them.
Full BINGO sheet. Congratulations!
That’s a beautiful quote
It is such a lovely phrase!
At the risk of sounding annoying, something that’s helped me bridge the gap between procrastinating and ‘serious writing’ is journaling. If I can’t convince myself to sit down and continue working on a short story or poem, I can usually convince myself to sit down and divulge the thoughts in my head - even if they’re about a propensity for avoidance. Maybe I’m not as ‘productive’ as I should be, but I am less tortured about my relationship to writing than I was before this.
Interesting! We talk a ton about the differences between journaling and drafting in Office Hours. Huge believer in journaling (even if it’s not directly tied to my writing process).
I love this so much! What a great post! I am good at generating language and getting a draft out. I’m doing the Stafford Challenge this year, and I started when I learned it existed back in November, so generation isn’t an issue, but the hard work of revision must be scheduled! It took me many years to get into a groove with an actual process for getting my writing done. But now I schedule my time and do it - it helps that I have no children to manage, and my household runs on my time, my job has its hours, and my work has a rhythm to it I never really had until I became an empty nester five years ago. It has allowed me to do so much more! But learning to be able to sit is the hardest part! This is why I created Brave Space and offer it 4 times a week right now (I used to do it 6 times a week). People come to sit and generate work. Because sitting and starting is so fraught.
Love this, Emma!!!!
This happens often times to many? I am comforted by the company.
I did splurge on a Moleskine notebook that takes my handwriting to my computer (in digital). Crazy, but that helps guard against the interruptions👍🏽.
Great! We do whatever it takes to appease the intimate interrupter! 😂
I see all my writing projects and all my laundry and snacks on a lazy Susan - it might start spinning at any moment!
😂😂😂