NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO WRITERS WORKSHOP
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Who We Are
    • The Kouhi and Phillips Awards
    • 20 Years on Snowshoes - Anthology
  • EVENTS
    • LitFest >
      • LitFest 2025
      • Book Fair/Literary Market
      • LitFest 2025 Photos
      • LitFest 2024 Photos
    • Workshops >
      • Archives
    • Wednesday Words
  • CONTESTS
    • 27th ANNUAL WRITING CONTEST >
      • 27th Annual Contest rules
      • Contest Judges
      • Past NOWW Writing Contest Winners
  • CALENDAR
  • JOIN
  • CONTACT

The Distracted Writer

10/24/2016

4 Comments

 

By Cindy Morson

Finally, I sit down to write. My coffee is keeping its temperature on the electric mug warmer that I asked for last Christmas. Nothing is more irritating than drinking cold coffee while becoming lost on the computer. I have the Word document set to the preferred font and size. My chair is re-adjusted from my daughter’s height to mine. Radio is off, curtain is open for natural light, scribbled notes of ideas and research beside me, begging for literary decoration. I look like a writer.
           
Then distractions creep in. Did the contractor for the windows send me a quote yet? I’ll just check my Hotmail quickly. Might as well check the other email account too. But don’t go on Facebook, you’ll never get to work. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Damn it. You did it. My husband sends a text. Yes, yes, I know, but we’ll chat later. I’m writing. Gulp. Ok, logging off Facebook. I can do this.
           
I return to Word and, miraculously, my fingers comply with my brain and actually start typing. It’s euphoric. My face relaxes, my mind focuses on the words. Suddenly, my fingers can’t keep up to the evolving stream of consciousness. Characters come alive, shoving themselves in front of one another. Patience everyone, I’ll get to you. They sit with arms crossed, feet tapping, waiting to be heard. I smile. I love them. I’m in my happy place.
           
The phone rings. I usually ignore it, but I know it’s my dad and I have to talk to him. I just have to. Back to writing. Where was I? My mind takes a few minutes to finish the phone conversation and focus on the text on the screen. Ok, back in the zone. My teenage daughter enters the office/craft room. My fault for combining the two. She starts a sewing project and I remind her to try to not distract me. But she’s there, behind me, cutting, pinning, sewing, and I need to breathe, and focus.

Picture
Picture
It's a challenge when you have to share your work space
Picture
          “Mom, what’s for lunch?” my other darling daughter yells from the living room.
           She’s eleven and, being the youngest, demands to be heard.
           “Whatever you want,” I respond without looking up.
           “What?” she yells back.
         “WHATEVER YOU WANT!!! I’m trying to write here!” I yell back. Oh, yes I do.
           For shame.
          
Type, type, type. My eyebrows crease, as if creating an armour against distraction; I pause to smooth them, to take a 10 second mental break. My sewing daughter jumps at the opportunity to ask me what I think of the crop top she re-purposed out of an old t-shirt. I take a breath and remind myself that the kids are only young once and pretty soon she won’t ask my opinion about anything. I turn and sincerely compliment her work. She’s so happy, validated.

“Mom! We have nothing to eat!” the hungry child yells. I sigh, turn back to the computer, hit save, and exit. I go to the kitchen to rescue my daughter from apparent starvation.  
           
I love writing, and I would love to dedicate my days to the art; to update my occupation status as Writer. The pros say to be a serious writer you need to write every day. Every single day. To be successful, you need to work harder and produce more work than everyone else. Maybe one day I’ll be there. Maybe I’m making excuses for not being there already. Life is busy, but is it really too busy that I can’t write something once a day? I work part time at my day job, so on paper I have the time. Do I let dust bunnies collect? Laundry pile up? The fridge to empty? The answering machine to pick up? For the kids to be ignored, their activities missed? Not exercise or go for walks with my husband? Not read? (Gasp! Anything but that!) Some days, yes. I have to do (or not do) all of these things so I can write. If I go too long without writing, a part of me dies. Overly dramatic? Maybe, but I bet writers know what I mean. It gives me as much purpose as anything else I love. But every day? Can it be done? Is it necessary? Well, my occupation status hasn’t changed, so I can see the point. I admit, I am skilled in the art of making excuses.

My eleven-year-old enters the office where I have stealthily returned to the computer. “Awww, I was going to write my book,” she laments, and sits behind me, waiting in line.
I hit save. I will edit later. Far be it for me to get in the way of an aspiring author. Besides, my chauffeur services are needed for a swimming lesson.

While the characters of our imaginations sit patiently, may our days be filled with balance, happiness, no excuses, and a written word or two.


Cindy Morson

Picture


Cindy Morson is a writer of poetry, children’s fiction, and women’s fiction. She has recently begun experimenting with Dialogue Only pieces and plays. She shares her work with friends and family as she traverses through the forest of genres. She fills her creative addiction through written words, paints, and screwdrivers.

4 Comments
Bonnie Ferrante link
10/24/2016 11:04:32 am

You have REAL distractions and seem to be coping admirably. I just have facebook, twitter, etc. Sometimes I think I'd be more productive going back to a typewriter.

Reply
Cindy Morson
10/24/2016 06:13:21 pm

ahhh...the typewriter...I often hide away to write pen to paper in my notebook. There's something very freeing about powering through spelling mistakes and scratching out errors rather than deleting them so easily. It's the deciphering my chicken scratch that becomes interesting ;)

Reply
Brandon Walker
10/24/2016 02:23:58 pm

Great blog. My suggestion is turn off your wifi on the computer - that will help with the internet distraction. You can also shut your Facebook account off entirely for up to a year without losing anything (after that apparently it's all gone). For quiet time, try writing at 5 or 6 am. That might work. Good luck!

Reply
Cindy Morson
10/24/2016 06:17:15 pm

Sometimes the best ideas come in the wee hours of the night, like a dream. Thanks Brandon!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    NOWW Writers

    Welcome to our NOWW Blog, made up of a collection of stories, reviews and articles written by our NOWW Members.


    Archive

    November 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    April 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    May 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Who We Are
    • The Kouhi and Phillips Awards
    • 20 Years on Snowshoes - Anthology
  • EVENTS
    • LitFest >
      • LitFest 2025
      • Book Fair/Literary Market
      • LitFest 2025 Photos
      • LitFest 2024 Photos
    • Workshops >
      • Archives
    • Wednesday Words
  • CONTESTS
    • 27th ANNUAL WRITING CONTEST >
      • 27th Annual Contest rules
      • Contest Judges
      • Past NOWW Writing Contest Winners
  • CALENDAR
  • JOIN
  • CONTACT