Thursday, August 20, 2009

The Internet - A Blessing and a Curse

Just five minutes for a quickie fact check, I tell myself.


Fast-forward two hours and I’ve not only accomplished my goal, but I’m up to date on the latest celebrity news and have two pairs of new shoes on the way.


Damn you, internet! You suck me in every time.


I’ve tried self-control, and it just doesn’t work for me. The ability to cyber-visit anywhere on earth at anytime is simply too seductive.


Shutting down the net at my house is a no-can-do. I’m not the only one who lives here.


Running away is no longer an option, because WiFi is readily available at hotels, coffee shops and libraries. Even McDonald’s (I also have no french fry self-control, but I digress).


My internet solution?


I tell my beloved MacBook good-bye as the hubby wedges it between the leaf blower and the lawnmower in the garage storage room. The whole “spiders in there” thing guarantees I won’t sneak back to retrieve it.


Then I break out my ancient, outdated laptop. It can handle word-processing and little else. The screen isn’t as big or as bright, but after a few moments of beating on that worn keyboard I’m in the writing zone.


Fact-checking? I make a note on a pad and keep writing.


I won’t lie. I miss e-mail, Twitter and popping by my favorite romance novel and beauty blogs. However, the longing subsides as my story takes hold of me and my character’s world becomes my world.


Well, I’ve shared how I battle the lure of the net. How do you balance surfing and writing?


Phyllis

7 comments:

Shauna Roberts said...

Unfortunately, I've yet to work out this balance for myself and spend far too much time on the Internet when I should be doing other things. I can't adopt your solution because I need to be reachable by clients during working hours.

Katrina Spencer said...

Loved your post!

One thing that helps me is to have a goal before I log on. If I'm working, than I'm just working, if I need to look up some things and check out other blogs, then I know that going in.

I know I'll get addicted to Twitter, Facebook, etc. So I avoid them and stick to my blog to reach out to my readers. As far as fact checking, I write first then I go over the details on my next draft.

Time is precious and I find the Internet a valuable time-saver, or time-waster. It just depends on what your goal is on when you log on.

Phyllis Bourne said...

Thanks for popping by Shauna and Katrina!

@Shauna, I'm still experimenting. I'm trying out a Firefox add on that blocks my favorite beauty blogs during writing hours. We'll see how it goes.

@Katrina, Good idea to leave fact checking for the second draft! I've restricted Twitter to my phone, and I still don't quite get Facebook.

Phyllis Bourne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Liane Spicer said...

Haven't worked out that balance myself yet. That Firefox add-on sounds like just the thing, Phyllis. Tell me more. I suppose just unplugging the cable would work just fine but...

Farrah Rochon said...

The internet has been a total time suck for me. My only way of working through it was writing on my Alphasmart, but now I use the netbook. I just have to tell myself not to do it. Sometimes it works, but on those days when the writing is especially hard, it's just way too easy to spend some time "researching".

Genella deGrey said...

I've not accomplished this balance at all! I have however, refused to twitter and have a facebook account. I have my hands full with yahoo links, my own website, my friends websites, my favorite blogs I visit, my myspace . . . Heck, I don't even get to shop! So on the days I have to do research, it's lucky if I get a single page of my current WIP written.
:)
G.