1. Scarecrow28

    Scarecrow28 New Member

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    Distractions

    Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by Scarecrow28, Aug 19, 2008.

    What kind of things distract you men your writing. One of the biggest things for me is the internet. I'll be writing and be sitting down, thinking, when I remember something I wanted to do earlier on the internet and forget about writing and just do it. This leads to more internet browsing and its at least 1/2 hr before I get back to reading. Another thing is games. I'm not a gamer or anything, but I've got some demos and such on my computer that pose an obvious distraction.
     
  2. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    Internet definitely. Sometimes music too. If there's a good song then I'll just sit and listen to it rather than work.
     
  3. Leo

    Leo New Member

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    Games, I love games, and they're slightly more recreational than writing (only slightly) so they always tempt me away...

    I guess a pre-constructed world to play with is just easier than having to create your own world.

    Although obviously you have more say over your own world.
     
  4. inkslinger

    inkslinger Active Member

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    The internet. It really is tempting when I'm writing and I reach a point where I have to pause to rethink something... I get tempted to just minus the word doc window and pull up an internet window. It's usually what ends up happening, lol.
     
  5. Scarecrow28

    Scarecrow28 New Member

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    The internet is kind of bittersweet: it can be a great help when researching but also can be incredibly distracting.
     
  6. CDRW

    CDRW Contributor Contributor

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    Every single thing on the face of the planet. :rolleyes: It makes it a little hard for me to finish anything.
     
  7. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Well, at least thar rules out celestial bodies. ;)
     
  8. NaCl

    NaCl Contributor Contributor

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    Depends . . . is Celest cute?
     
  9. CDRW

    CDRW Contributor Contributor

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    I might have to change my statement to include everything, period. ;) Fortunately I don't have too many celestial bodies invading my room while I'm trying to write.
     
  10. Nilfiry

    Nilfiry Senior Member

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    Nothing distracts me except my wandering thoughts. Sometimes when I'm stuck on a paragraph or an idea for a long time, random ideas pop into my mind.
     
  11. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    nothing internal and next to nothing external, short of typhoon, tsunami or in-the-flesh visitors who won't go away when they read my 'sorry i missed you, please come back tomorrow' sign...
     
  12. soujiroseta

    soujiroseta Contributor Contributor

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    wandering thoughts are kryptonite for me...as soon as i pause to think about something relating to my MC i might end up going and trying to find a the cheapest route from here to Perth...oh and the internet lol:)
     
  13. ParanormalWriter

    ParanormalWriter New Member

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    The biggest distractions to me are noise and anything (or anyone) moving in the room.

    Or, in a bigger sense, I'm another of those who finds the internet extremely distracting, because it's such a temptation to play around here talking about writing when I sure be getting some done. :D
     
  14. mooncloud

    mooncloud New Member

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    The internet. Oh, the internet.

    Music only distracts me when I have to keep hitting the skip button.

    My cat, my boyfriend, and thinking about what's in the kitchen also distract me greatly.
     
  15. Lillias

    Lillias New Member

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    My own wandering thoughts distract me I suppose. I can lose my train of thought and totally forget what I was even thinking about. Oh yeah and the Internet is bad too.
    I should be writing right now , but I'm on a forum! lol
     
  16. Nom de Plume

    Nom de Plume Banned

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    When I'm zoomed in on my writing I find it hard to get distracted because I'm not conscious of the world around me. When I'm not, absolutely everything distracts me.
    One thing that always seems to get me though is talking, especially since my dad has a loud voice and he always sits on the verandah near my window when he talks on the phone. I really should move that chair.
     
  17. biddy

    biddy New Member

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    Answering forum questions like - What kind of things distract you when your writing? :rolleyes:
     
  18. tehuti88

    tehuti88 New Member

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    All kinds of things can distract me. The key is to either 1. put them off until you're done with your writing for the day or 2. remember to get back to writing in a reasonable amount of time and FINISH it.

    If the Internet and games distract you so much, I really think you need to force yourself to NOT use them until you've written your quota for the day--if you have a quota--if you don't, then you need to at least do SOME writing before allowing yourself to get distracted. Because that's the key word--you're allowing it to happen. You don't HAVE to log online or play a game when you want to be writing. The Internet and games are becoming your priority, so you really have to choose which is more important, if you ever want to get things done or become more consistent in your writing habits. If you force yourself to stick to it so that writing becomes a daily habit, it really makes it easier to minimize distractions.

    For example if something distracts me from writing, I'll either tend to it BRIEFLY, with the full knowledge that I will have to return to my writing that same day and get it done, or else I'll tell myself to tend to the distraction later, after I'm done with my writing. You have to compromise with yourself. There's really no other way, if one wishes to actually finish what they start.
     
  19. Jade

    Jade Active Member

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    The internet. Especially MSN :rolleyes:
     
  20. Scarecrow28

    Scarecrow28 New Member

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    The forums are starting to become a welcomed distraction, but a distraction none-the-less. :D
     
  21. Alex_Hartman

    Alex_Hartman New Member

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    Writing Forums. I'll go on here hoping to find something that might help me and before I know it, I've been on WF for three hours! Or I'll organize my computer, getting rid of things, making new folders to make everything neater, changing the back round.

    Once I sat down on my computer to write and I was distracted when I started doing more research than necessary. Hmmm...maybe instead of being "distracted" I was procrastonating...I'll have to stop that.
     
  22. Still Life

    Still Life Active Member

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    Just about everything distracts me, including the small fuzzy hairs I could barely see on my fingers. I'm sure I'm not just imagining that they're there.

    Also my 12 month old kitten Emma is a big distracting machine. She'll clutch at my leg with her claws and meow until I give her an hour of "string play" time.
     
  23. Last_Cyt

    Last_Cyt New Member

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    My biggest distration is the internet and pc games.
     
  24. NaCl

    NaCl Contributor Contributor

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    Sex. It is the only welcome distraction. All others are forbidden.
     
  25. RomanticRose

    RomanticRose Active Member

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    As long as I leave my home to write, very little distracts me.

    It's only when I try to write here in the apartment that I see what needs to be dusted, notice the streaks on the windows, wonder what the expiration date on the milk is, you get the idea.
     

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