Yes, I’d have to say it was definitely a good idea to work longhand with this edit. The evenings where I’m focusing solely on this project is when I take the binder to the loveseat across the room and settle in. I’m not chained to the desk, but I can still have the tunage going while I work.
Which brings me to the subject of unplugging again. It seems every six to eight months I need to unplug from the internet and do some IRL things. Or more to the point, needing to remind myself to unplug from the internet and do some IRL things.
What this usually means is that, even though I kvetch about it from time to time here at WtBt, I don’t always follow through. Sometimes I’ll just have a long day at work and want to goof off online and watch cat-drifting gifs all night. Or I’ll consistently distract myself with the Twitter feed. Sure, I’ll catch myself and shut down the browser right there and then and do something more productive with my time.
It’s not like I haven’t eased up on the distractions over the last year. I’m not as passive about them as I used to be. In fact I’ve become quite tight with my latest writing schedule of practice words, blog entries and exercises, balancing them quite nicely with the Day Job and the regular writing work.
This time out, however, I’m thinking about actively unplugging for a bit. I mean, doing some serious longhand work, for various reasons:
–Obvious: Less chance of distraction.
–Health: Reasons for me to start moving around and getting out of the chair more often. Also, considering my Day Job is to look at a laptop all day, and following it up by looking at a PC later that evening, I really should give my eyes a break more often.
–Personal: Sitting with A. instead of hiding away in the back room all day and night.
–Mental: Focusing solely on the task at hand because, well, it would be the only thing I have at hand. Also, I have something a little more tangible to work with, rather than having to remember where I was in the document, especially if I’m flipping back and forth.
–Physical: Handwriting tends to be less straining on my wrists than typing, even with my new PC and its wireless keyboard and mouse.
–And let’s be honest here: when I write new projects longhand, I need to be able to write on the fly. The habit of editing on the PC is far too ingrained right now, thanks to the Epic Trilogy Editing Seasons. Once the trilogy project is done, I can reassess.
But yes…it’s one thing to say “I’m thinking of doing [X] to make my work better” or “I’m going to close the browsers now so I can work”, but it’s another to make good on those statements. And unplugging does seem to be the only way to do this cleanly and efficiently.
Does that mean all my blogs are going on hiatus? Nope, not this time around. Those will still be around, as long as I have something to say. I don’t have to unplug for mental reasons this time.
I just want to be a better writer is all. 🙂
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