First Drafting, Part 3: Distractions

I'm back from my trip!!!  It was really enjoyable, and I got some worthwhile outlining done for the fifth draft of Words of Gold, and also some worldbuilding.  Thanks to Sarah and Evangeline for hanging out and writing with me!

And for our feature presentation:

I'm going to say it, and I know everyone will hate me, but here it is: turn off the internet!

Okay, I'm mostly kidding, you don't have to, but if you're desperate to finish the draft and you keep getting stuck on the internet...well, desperate people do desperate things...

So how do you defeat this monster of a networking-world, or anything else that may catch your attention away from your story, aside from moving to the middle of nowhere and living off the land and writing your story on leaves in a hand-made tree house?

No, that is not my cat.  I was writing at a campground the other week, and this little guy came and was a very big distraction.  I couldn't resist snapping a picture before giving him a hug and sending him on his merry way...to go bother the other girls trying to write, lol.

Control

Yes, we need to learn control!  If you can't look at Pinterest without getting swept away for 15 minutes, then don't look at it!!!  If you easily get stuck in an organizing mood, don't clean up your desk before you start writing!!  If you know you'll be stuck searching the internet when you just need to Google a quick thing...jot that thing down and research it later!

Bait

Use your internet distractions as rewards.  If you write for fifteen minutes, you can check FaceBook for five.  Got 500 words down?  Watch a YouTube video.  Just be sure to be honest with yourself, don't cheat, and don't get caught on a binge after the allotted time has passed!

Eliminate

Get rid of distractions before they happen.  Does your cat annoy you while writing?  Toss her outside, or put a cardboard box somewhere for her to lay in.  Ask your family to give you ten or fifteen minutes of peace.  Put your phone on silent.  Sit somewhere where you won't be distracted to pick up a book a flip through it.  Go to a café corner where everyone looking at you will force you to stare at the screen and type so you look professional.  Play some music to cover over the sounds of your siblings playing in the other room.

Explain

Sometimes just telling your family and friends that you are writing a story, and would like some free time to get that done, can work.  Don't ask for a ridiculous amount of time, just ten minutes, or fifteen, or half an hour, depending on your schedule and lifestyle.  Explain that if you get your writing time, you'll be happy to play a game or do something with them afterwards. 

And then spend that given time seriously.  Don't use it to scroll through FaceBook.  If your sister passes by and sees you laughing at videos on YouTube, she is less likely to let you have your time alone (and may even bound over to watch with you).  But if she checks in on you, and you're deeply engaged in your story, she may let you alone (unless there's an emergency), and perhaps even push the cat outside so he won't bother you anymore!

Accept

Tell yourself, "yes, there's noise, but I'm not going to pay attention to it."  And then slip some headphones in and ignore it as best you can.  Move to a different room or sit outside (weather permitting).  When your sister comes in, asking a question, patiently listen, give her an answer, ask her to leave, and get calmly back to work.  Don't panic and get yourself worked up, just say that life happens, and you're going to use the best of your time that you have been given. 

So remain calm, take care of whatever is causing you to not write, and then get back to your story.

Switch

Your brother is practicing his latest drumming routine, and there's no way you can hear yourself think!  So don't write, but find something else WIP-wise to do.  Can you get a few more worldbuilding ideas from Pinterest?  Maybe go do a chore and try to imagine yourself as the MC (or another character) and get in his/her head a little bit more?  If you simply cannot find the ability to write because of what's going on at the moment, then accept it, and find something else to do.

BUT you must be careful not to do this every time, and get stuck in the endless "browse the internet instead of writing every time I sit down" loophole.  If the only time you have to write is during a siblings band practice, then you better learn how to deal with the noise!!  Remember, if you really want to get this draft finished, you better be prepared to write when things are hard.

Hopefully that was helpful, and encourages you to keep writing, no matter what's going on around you.  Does anyone else have any tips for writing with distractions?  Are you enjoying the series?