On writing and distractions

I recently read a blog post on Procrastinating Writers about how to avoid distraction while writing.  Articles like this always appeal to me because sometimes, a lot of the time, I am very easily distracted.  I feel like I only rarely get into a zone of complete focus and am able to work solely on one given task/project/story for a given length of time without taking a break to do something else in-between.  Perhaps a side effect of my constant need to be multitasking....?

In any case, I really did find value in the advice listed out in the blog post.  An eye opener for me right off the bat: the first two recommendations were about distancing yourself from the computer.  Or, better yet, from computer applications, Internet, games, etc.  

What a truly novel idea.  I guess I had never thought before about how distracting simply being on your computer can be....even if one is on the computer for the purpose of writing!  Luckily for me my writing computer is not hooked up to the Internet, but I still have games and music applications on there that I sometimes mess around with while trying to write, not to mention my iPhone, which gives me instant access to email and the greatest time vampire of them all: Facebook. 

Writing is a very solitary act.  It is not a group event and it is not something that can be done in conjunction with several other activities.  A writer has to be willing to isolate themselves, to face the thoughts and ideas in their head, and commit to getting them down on paper.  When too many outside forces come into contact with you trying to write, the result is, well, there usually isn't any result because it's usually too hard to focus and actually form complete sentences.  TV, Internet sites, games, phones, even music can sometimes just be too much competition for someone trying to write.  

Why had this never occurred to me before?  How many times had I sat down in my office, a story pulled up on Microsoft Word just waiting to be further developed, and I was too preoccupied with finding the perfect song on my play list?  How many times had I sat there responding to text messages, ultimately breaking my concentration and my train of thought?  

This is a true testament to the times we live in.  Honestly, it's amazing we are able to get anything done with all the different technologies we have access to and are able to utilize each and every day.  For a writer, these different technologies, these various distractions, have no place or purpose when one is trying to bring life to a story.  I realize that each of us is able to focus and create under varying circumstances, and while some people can type away without a pause while music is blaring in the background, others of us need the quietness of an empty room in order to hear what is happening in our creative imaginations. 

Do I dare go back in time?  To tackle my writing without the aid of modern technologies?  I am referring, of course, to the longhand method of pen and paper.  Do I even remember how to write this way?

I'm sure it's just like riding a bike.   

On Themes

I read a lot of blogs, some religiously, some only on occasion.  Some are professional blogs while others are just everyday people sharing their thoughts and ideas.  I think our fascination (or some people's fascination) with blogs is the fact that these blogs are another source of insight into another person.  Compelling characters always make the best stories, and in that same vein blogs with compelling authors make the best reading. 

One thing I notice about most of the blogs I read is that they all have some kind of theme.  Maybe not in all the posts, but usually there is an underlying commonality that is shared throughout, something that ties everything together.  Reading back through some of my posts, I'm not sure that there is any kind of theme.  I guess in some way writing and writing is a bit of a common denominator through a lot of my posts, but they are scattered throughout and overall the blog just feels kind of.....random. 

Is this bad?  Am I floating in the blogosphere with no direction, completely wasting my time?  Should I have a mission, a goal with each post, or is it okay to write on a whim and mix things up? 

In a way I'm not entirely surprised that I never settled on a true theme for my blog.  Back in the day when people still burned CD's (and yes I still do that), I never stuck to one type of music for a single CD.  I would mix some rap songs in with some country, throw in a couple tunes from Ray Charles, then maybe finish it out with a throwback song from my middle school days.  I like randomness, I like surprise, and sometimes I just don't feel like committing to a set direction. 

I feel like I'm something of a walking contradiction.  On the one hand I thrive on routine and having a set plan, and on the other I yearn for change and unexpectedness.  How exactly can these two very different feelings coexist within me?

Maybe this blog is the outlet.  The sounding board for the random side of me to explore those thoughts and feelings that the routine side of me doesn't always embrace.  If that is the case, then I am prepared to sail along with my blog, theme-free and ever-changing.  I won't cage myself into a single topic but will instead dare myself to write about anything and everything that interests me on a given day.

And on those days when nothing seems to interest me, I can always blog about my love for Peanuts.  Random or not, one must always have a fallback plan.

Morning pages

This week I am embarking on an experiment with my writing.  I was inspired to try this after a post I read on the Procrastinating Writers blog, in which the author related her findings after two weeks of writing Morning Pages.  The idea behind this exercise is to get your thoughts, ideas, complaints, anything that has you stuck both in life and writing, down on paper and out of the way.  The concept is simple.  You get up in the morning, you grab a notebook and pen, and you write without picking up your pen until you have filled three pages.  Stream of consciousness writing would be another term for this. 

This is not just an exercise to do once in a while, every other day or just on week days.  This is literally an every single day process that you are supposed to go through, no ifs ands or buts.

It makes sense that I would be reading a blog called Procrastinating Writers because I told myself I would start writing my Morning Pages today.....but I didn't.  Truth be told I just plain forgot, which I realize doesn't necessarily serve as the greatest excuse.  But tomorrow morning I am completely committed to knocking out those three pages.  I am also hoping that this little experiment becomes an effortless morning ritual for me and not just a one time experiment.  But I do have my reservations. 

For some reason I have never been that good at stream of consciousness writing and I think it's because I am such a perfectionist.  I am always wanting to insert punctuation, or make complete sentences, or make things flow in an easy to read manner.  This of course interferes with the whole "write without stopping" rule, and then I have to refocus myself to start writing in a steady stream again.  The thing is, this type of writing should not be hard.  You can write anything, even if it's just the same word over and over again.  The main point is to keep writing.  I'm hoping that this exercise will help to unlock some creativity, give me some ideas for future blog posts, and yes, help me to get in the flow of writing without constantly stopping to reread, edit, or get distracted. 

Day 1 of Morning Pages officially kicks off tomorrow and I am very excited to see what lies ahead! 

On gambling

I recently returned from a trip to Reno with the hubby and his business partners.  It felt so amazing to get away, even for just a few days.  And even though my fantasy of sitting poolside all day long while sipping fruity drinks didn't quite come into fruition (the weather was not very warm), a good time was still had by all (and there were still many fruity drinks consumed). 

Reno is known as the biggest little city in the world, and while not quite as popular as Las Vegas, it is still something of a gambling destination.  Casinos rule the town, slot machines rule the airport, and just about everywhere you turn there is another opportunity for you to throw money away on something.  I was not naive enough to believe that we would go on this trip and not end up losing some money to the casinos.  Considering we had an $11 per day casino fee tacked on to our bill at checkout, we were losing money whether we wanted to or not.  This was not the first time I had been to a casino, but it was the first time I had been to one with the actual intention of gambling.  

Now see, even that isn't entirely true.  I am not a fan of gambling, and while I don't hold anything against people who do happen to enjoy it, it is not my cup of tea.  I have never been able to wrap my mind around the idea of willingly throwing money away for absolutely no reason.  Yes, I have heard the old adage you have to play big to win big, but how often does that really happen?  I am willing to be the odds are pretty low (no pun intended). 

So the first night there my husband and his buddies decide to play a little blackjack.  After standing behind them for a good ten minutes bored out of my mind, I decided to try my hand at the penny slots.  I figure I can handle the idea of penny wagers, plus if I sit at the machine long enough I am guaranteed a free drink.  I find a machine, sit down, and search through my wallet for a small bill to enter.  Of course all I have are $20 bills.  Okay, I tell myself.  I'll just play for awhile then cash out and use the rest on another night.  I start playing the machine and before long I'm down about $3.  Getting frustrated I decide to up the ante.  Instead of only betting one line I go up to 15 lines, then 20.  This of course costs more money, so that loss of $3 quickly turns into a loss of $6 and then $7.  Throughout I made some small gains, but then of course I had to re-wager my winnings in order to keep getting ahead.  I worked my way back up to $15 before cashing out, but over the next two days I probably lost around $20 in the penny slots.  Who knows, it probably was more.  After awhile you kind of start to lose track. 

I realize that my losings don't really stack up to the hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars that people often lose at casinos, but in my mind it was significant.  That $20 could have bought me a new shirt, or dinner, or a new book.  Instead it's sitting in the belly of a penny slot machine, lost to me forever.  And all it took was the pressing of a button over and over again.  

I did a lot of people watching while in the different casinos we visited and realized something else.  All the commercials you see on TV for resort casinos with the young, healthy, well-dressed people are slightly off mark.  Maybe Vegas is a different story, but in all the casinos I visited I found, let's just say, an interesting mix of individuals.  In a way it was kind of depressing.  All these people sitting around at a table staring at cards, or sitting at a slot machine mindlessly pressing buttons while lights flashed and loud noises reverberated around them in all directions.  It didn't necessarily strike me as a happy place, because frankly I didn't see too many people smiling.

All in all I was somewhat fascinated by the casino culture, and spent a lot more time people watching than I did gambling.  From this trip I learned that I am definitely not a gambler, and in fact get no joy out of the process whatsoever.  But while I was sitting there at that machine pressing that wager button over and over again, I definitely fell into the gambling trance.  Every time I would lose I thought, I'll make it up on the next round.  This thought surprisingly brought me an ounce of calmness, and as the lines were spinning on each ensuing round I eagerly waited to see if this time would in fact be my lucky break.  

It's a fascinating and dangerous idea that simply by pressing a button or rolling some dice you can instantly find yourself richer by thousands of dollars.  And even if you don't gamble on a regular basis, even if you don't necessarily enjoy the process, this is still the idea, the dream that sits in the back of your mind.  It's what causes people to sit hour after hour at the poker tables and slot machines, long after they have fallen deep into the hole of debt.  

It's a strange form of hope that constantly lingers, even after your money has left you.