Lately, as a writer, I have been experiencing d&d: distractions abound and in them be dragons! Out demon of Minecraft, away with you spirit of modded Skyrim! I am a level three writer trying to fight distractions way above my own experience. I may need some divine intervention to deliver me from these (and other) fights.
If you write for any amount of time you have to slay or at least flee from distractions. There are enough distractions in my own head to have to deal with these other tempting oases of creative sloth. These monster become especially strong when I am having some sort of mental dam that is making writing extra difficult. Magic systems are my nemesis and as much as I enjoy reading about them, I find that developing them is a pain in the ass.
You can’t have a fantasy novel without some magic, and the current market prefers hard magic systems to soft magic systems. This whole magic discussion deserves its own blog and it will get one. The point is both my main projects have hit the magic system cerebral wall and now I don’t want to do the work.
Right now, I want to play Minecraft. This blog is forcing me to write, to put down words and not jump into the MCDM Minecraft server. I have never played Minecraft before this week and have gained a new appreciation for the sandbox cube-fest, much like an addict has for meth and a diabetic for processed sugar. I think the addiction has been amplified with the current writing issues. It is a way to avoid writing, anything than to try to make up for my lack of words.
Eventually, I do become an adult again and plod like any other job toward solving my letter dilemma. If you are a writer and you are worrying that the distractions will kill your trade, fear not for they are temporary and your good sense (and mounting bills) will eventually push you back into the writing. What do I do when I feel the distractions clawing at my time and attention? Glad you asked. (Of course, you did!)
1. I give in…for a time.
Distractions are not always bad, especially if they force me to take a break. Sometimes being distracted is an indicator that I am pushing too hard. Taking some time to rest may have some long term benefits.
2. I set some goals.
This sounds counter-intuitive. How am I motivated to correct my lack of motivation by setting goals that require me to motivate? Well, goals are writing and they help me see where I am trying to go with my writing. When I have goals I have to structure my time, and I can re-evaluate my current goals to see if they are realistic.
3. I write something else.
Right now, I am using this blog as a medium to write. I may not write what I wanted to write, but at least I wrote something. This allows my murky brain to continue to percolate while taking me away from the continuous psychic pain of having to deal with magic systems or lack thereof.
Well, I hope this has been helpful to you. If it hasn’t it has helped me, which was my goal, to begin with.
Gazing through Opaque Windows 