Maybe some of you have a set time for when to check your email, blogspot, websites or yahoogroups (social networking groups). Well, not this author. Time management? What’s that? That doesn’t exist in this author’s life, which I am sure my husband wishes I would try.
I am the kind that would check the inbox every five or so minutes (my yahoogroups mail comes in my Windows Live Mail account). Checking my mailboxes is almost like an addiction that gets in my way of writing. I am aware of this, but not doing anything to stop it. I have stories to edit and polish but couldn’t concentrate because I have to check my mail. Sad, huh?
Anyway, our recent trip to Disneyland helped me get away from the dratted little envelope I am itching to click right now. How? No internet connection. Yup.
Sitting inside the car with my laptop open and not getting the connection was like having a withdrawal. I was irritated and easily annoyed. I. Want. My. Internet. Subscribing to the hotel’s pricey internet connection came to mind, but I didn’t succumb to the pressure. So without my internet, my attention focused on the novel I was supposed to finish.
After two hours, I found myself staring at my finished novel. Inspired, I decided to write a short, which I also finished. Wow. For the first time, I wrote a story for over an hour without reading and replying to my emails in between. I saw the good side of not having an internet connection. Now, I began to analyze my situation. Could it be that the internet slowed down my writing productivity? Yes!
I realized that checking my email became a major distraction from doing my main task every day. Before my email addiction, I would fire up my coffee pot first thing in the morning. Not anymore. Checking my email took over the number one spot on my things to do. Okay, you might say, “well, there is nothing wrong with that.” See here, checking would mean reading the emails, then replying to them and maybe visit the links suggested on the email. By the time I was done checking my emails, I already lost a big portion of my time supposed to be spent in writing or editing.
Email is a distraction! Luckily, there is a solution. Switch off the WIFI connection. I know, I know. Email is important. We authors, have to communicate with our editors, author friends and readers. But the job that helps us make money should come first. Writing.
Write first. When you get tired and need a break, check your email. However, be aware of the time you spend reading and replying.
Okay, enough of the personal rant. :D Just want to share this news to everyone. My editor suggested that I write a series for my stand-alone Knight Brothers novel. That would mean writing four novels. Five when I add the story about the Knight brothers only sister. So, understanding about the negative side of my addiction came at the right time. Write first.
If you have good advice about time management post it here, any thoughts about email and internet use, we’d like to hear about it.
Happy Friday everyone!
Tierney
http://tierneyomalley.com
About Us
We are the authors Sierra Wolfe, Tierney O'Malley, Wendy Ely, Alisha Paige, Mark Alders, Kate Davison, and Gracen Miller. Welcome to our blog. We hope to entertain and inform you. This is where we will share our writing journeys and life experiences, and maybe, share a bit of wisdom we pick up along the way. We hope you enjoy it!
About Gracen
Gracen is a hopeless daydreamer masquerading as a "normal" person in southern society. When not writing, she's a full-time basketball/football/guitar mom for her two sons and a devoted wife to her real-life hero-husband. She's addicted to writing, paranormal romance novels and movies, Alabama football and coffee…addictions are not necessarily in order of priority. She is convinced coffee is nectar from the gods and blending coffee and writing together generates the perfect creative merger. Many of her creative worlds are spawned from coffee highs. To learn more about Gracen or to leave her a comment, visit her website at www.gracenmiller.com.
Gracen's Books
About Kate
I like to read and write just about anything. But I am a sucker for a Happily-Ever-After. I need to know characters ride off into the sunset and all is right in their world. That's why I chose romance instead of another category. HEA's aren't always promised in other genres, though I do read them too.
Most of the time you'll find me at the keyboard, moving between the 5 projects I tackle at a time.
Most of the time you'll find me at the keyboard, moving between the 5 projects I tackle at a time.
About Alisha
I write paranormal, magic realism, fantasy, erotic and vintage romance. I live in a haunted house built in the 50s and love to drink red wine and eat dark chocolate while sitting in the swing out back. I love to watch my children play in the sandbox while my dogs wrestle on the grass. Does life get any better? It's the simple things in life I cherish.
Alisha's Books
About Wendy
Writing is an adventure I started at a young age but never took it serious until last year. My focus is on contemporary romance and have two books coming out later this year. Besides writing, I run a childcare, attend college, and am a single mom. Life isn't boring for me!
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Friday, April 10, 2009
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About Tierney
Hi! My name is Tierney O'Malley, contemporary and paranormal romance author from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. My publishers are Cobblestone Press, Museitup Publishing, eXtasy Books, and Silver Publishing. I'm excited to join this blog and hope to share you fun and meaningful posts. :D Click here or go to my website http://tierneyomalley.com to learn more about my books or contact me. I would love to hear from you.
About Mark
My name is Mark Alders. I live in a house. This house has a street in front of it which is a good thing because if it didn't I wouldn't be able to drive down to the shop and purchase the chocolate I need on a daily basis *giggle* Seriously, I am a mild mannered post office worker by day and an erotic romance writer (mainly male/male) at night. Not much else to say other than, like everyone else, I have bills to pay, a mortgage and family that I love and drive me crazy all at the same time. Oh, and I have a dog, too! See? Average Joe...execpet when I get down and write...then I let my imagination go to places I never knew existed and my characters invade my mind.
About Sierra
I have an Associates Degree in Nursing and work as a traveling nurse. Although, I miss my family and friends back in Missouri, I enjoy meeting new people and love to travel. Of course, I wouldn’t go anywhere without my wonderful daughter and two rotten dogs. Writing has always been a part of my life, but for many years, I thought it was only a hobby. Finally learning that I couldn’t live without writing my beloved stories, I decided to see where it would take me. Who knows where my next adventure will be? Either in nursing or writing, I will continue to look for new and fun places to explore.
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11 comments:
Oh no, and I just ordered WIFI and a little Internet phone that lets me access my emails anywhere....
:-\
I hate to say this but I have no clue what wifi is. In my neck of the woods, we're lucking to get a trackphone to work let alone anything else.
Tierney,
I have the same problem. I check email first thing in the morning, but with my coffee cup in hand. Do you have Facebook, too? I have facebook and myspace both. It's never ending.
Here's what I do when I'm in serious writing mode. On my pc, I look at email. On my laptop, I write. It's that simple for me, just get off the darn pc. Grin. That's easier said than done. lol
Sandy
M.E.,It is great to have a WI-FI and the internet phone to access your email as long as its not getting in a way of your writing.
Faith, WI-FI is short for Wireless Fidelity. I am not an expert when it comes to technology, but here is what I understand about WI-FI. See, I have a router that is connected to my modem. The modem is connected to my Desktop Computer. The router sends the signal to my laptop giving me access to the internet. I can turn this WI-FI on and off my laptop.
Where is your neck of the woods? :D I am in Seattle
Sandy, I just opened a facebook account. Also, I have Friendster account that I use to communicate with my family and old friends. Yup, it is never ending! I like your style better. Use the pc for checking mails. I might try that. :)
Yup, I say your addicted.
Time management method number one, do your work first. Read email later.
Yeah, it's hard but you can do it.
Janice~
I feel your addiction, Tierney. I'm addicted to e-mail too and check it every morning after my boys leave for school.
I lost my internet last summer for three days after lightening struck my wifi. I was miserable without it. Went to the library one day just so I could catch up on my e-mails, but I felt disconnected from the world. It was awful.
But it is very distracting and gulps precious time out of my day. I've been trying to pull away from it and the internet too. They're both too distracting. So, I avoid it until I start to feel like I'm getting the shakes and then I'll allow myself 15 minutes before I shut it down again. It helps shutting off the notice that lets you know each time you get an e-mail.
Great blog! And as sad as it is to say it, it's nice to know I'm not the only sufferer out there.
You described to a 't' my bad writing habit. Or my bad NOT writing habit. Email, links, social networking, blogging... The times I can actually ignore the lure of 'you've got mail!' are the times I get the writing done.
Gracen,
"...but I felt disconnected from the world. It was awful."
I agree. Imagine when we were in Europe spending hours on the road. I was freaking miserable. My family knew about how I felt so everytime they spotted a sign for a free wi-fi,they would alert me. :D
No, you are not alone in this. I wonder if there is a group Internet Alcoholics Anonymous
Tierney
Dana,
To ignore the lure of the "You've got mail" is like ignoring a pair of black slingback open-toed sandals with a marked down price of 50% off. LOL Oh, If I could just ignore my mail... Switching off wi-fi worked for awhile. *sigh*
Janice,
I'll try. I know it's a matter of discipline. I turned off my wi-fi while writing last night. But....like someone trying to quit smoking, I succumbed to the pressure after about an hour or so. *bad me. smack!*
I've promised myself that I'll only use the Internet phone when away from home or on long journeys and have hidden it from myself hahaha. So, while travelling to our vacation spot in June, and while there, I can still waffle to my friends on Yahoo groups etc.
Last time we went away, after two days without my computer I went screwy. I can take my laptop this time too now. Yay.
Wi-Fi goes on my pc on Tuesday.
Whee!
:o)
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