Write More, Tweet Less
FOR A WEEK, keep a journal to track how much time you spend on the Internet versus how much time you spend writing. You will likely be surprised by the results.
I have never been much of a fan of the Internet, or computers. Sure, I enjoy the convenience of email, free news access, and the ability to self-publish my fiction stories online and in book form for free. But my biggest complaint about the Internet is how much time I must waste rummaging through garbage in order to find a diamond in the rough.
Obviously, I thoroughly enjoy being a part of the writing community here on Medium, and it is great to be able to read stories by fellow writers, and to get feedback on my own pieces. But I learned early on as a writer that the only way I would ever be productive would be to divide my free time between writing and looking at the Internet with a formula of 80/20. In other words, for every 20 minutes I spend on the Internet, I should spend approximately 80 minutes writing. I don’t carry a stopwatch with me everywhere I go, but this is a rough formula to which I try to adhere.
My goal has always been to write, edit, and complete one fiction book each year. So far, I have been keeping up with that goal. I have found that if I write and edit approximately 300 words each day, I will be able to complete about one book each year. I never write the same amount each day — on some days I might complete 2,500 words, and on other days, I won’t write anything. Every once in a while, I’ll take a break for the week or two, just because I’m feeling burnt out on the writing process.
Whenever I feel the urge to go online and look around at this or that, I’ll refocus myself and work on a new story. One benefit of modern technology is that it is now easy to write anywhere, and to write quickly. Due to a physical disability and a very limited ability to use a keyboard and a mouse, I use dictation software for everything. I have Dragon dictation software on my laptop, but if I am out and about, I will just dictate a new flash fiction piece straight into my iPhone.
You may discover that when you just sit down and start writing without distractions, even for just 30 or 45 minutes each day, you can get quite a bit done. Better yet, try giving up the Internet for one week as an experiment, and use all of that time to write some new stories. You might be surprised at what you can accomplish, if you just focus.
Follow Fountain Pen for more stories and articles about the fiction writing process.
Check out J.S. Lender’s new book They Are Here Now (Short Tales).
