Posted 7:55 am under 
Can we talk about the Internet for a moment? First, I think we can all agree the Internet is great. It’s hard to imagine that a little more than a decade ago I got my first email account. There was no google, I didn’t have a cell phone and I actually had to speak to my friends to know what what happening in their lives. Now? If it’s not on Facebook, it didn’t happen. (I’m exaggerating, but not by much).
As a writer, I rely on the Internet for so many things: Networking, promotions, research, etc. But there’s a dark side to the internet for writers. Writers are famous procrastinators. We elevate goofing off to an art form. We’re also really good at justifying this procrastination. “Oh, I have to go to facebook eleventy times a day to keep in touch with fans. Hmm? Why did I spend two hours playing Bejewled Blitz? I need it for my eye-hand coordination.”
Even if a writer can resist the siren call of social networking and games, there’re other pitfalls. For example, I’m not one of those writers who can leave space savers in manuscripts. If I need a detail for a scene, I need it right then or I can’t continue. Therefore, I’m always hopping online to do research. The problem? I might go online to find a name for a character, but end up disappearing through some weird internet worm hole that leads me to watching a Youtube video of a man rapping about goats.
What’s worse, I can’t stop. Yes, my friends, the truth is I have become an internet addict. I justify my addiction by claiming I’m just a multi-tasker. At any given moment, I’ve got a word doc, email, IM, Twitter, Facebook and my browser open. I might resist the internet for a little while, but sure enough, the minute I get stuck for a word, I’m entering an internet shame spiral wherein I’m rotating between like five web sites over and over looking for some sort of excitement.
I read this article about multi-tasking last month. It claimed that our brains aren’t really wired for true multi-tasking. Instead of being able to concentrate on several things at once, the truth is our brain has to constantly shift attention. This is making us less able to concentrate on any one thing. No wonder I feel so scattered all the time.
When I talk to my full-time writer friends, we all bemoan our internet addictions. It interferes with deadlines. It makes us feel guilty. Yet for some reason, the idea of unplugging makes us uneasy. The internet has become our water cooler. But it’s also become our self-sabotage drug of choice.
But when I stop and really think about it, those times when I’ve totally unplugged, I’ve found I don’t really miss much. Ninety percent of the emails I get are forwards, junk mail and other crap I don’t need to read. Twitter and Facebook have created this false interest in the minutiae of daily life–a cyber reality show where we all play starring roles.
So what’s the solution? The truth is, the internet is my main source of promotion for my work. It’s free for the most part, and I really enjoy interacting with readers and peers. But there has to be a limit. So, I’ve downloaded this program called Mac Freedom. Basically, you set a time and for that period, the program blocks access to all networks on your computer.
I’m a little ashamed I’ve had to take such an extreme measure to get work done. After all, I’m an adult. I’m not afraid of work. But one of the pitfalls of being a full-time writer is the idea that you can always write later. Next thing you know, the book is due in a month and you enter the Panic Zone. And panic is not conducive to creativity.
How about you guys? Anyone else experiencing internet fatigue?
Wow – I had no idea there were programs like that. Guess that means I wouldn’t be able to have 21 browser windows open (like I do now).
I think I’ve gotten even more addicted to the internet since I started working at home a year and a half ago. It’s literally my only connection to the outside world during most of my day!
TexasRed, yes, that’s it exactly. I spend so much time at home alone I use the internet to feel connected. But there has to be a limit, right?
I just tried Mac Freedom for the first time. Wrote ten pages in two hours. Not bad.
My boyfriend bought a cottage way up north 3 summers ago. It is a dead zone for the net and cell service. 2 months ago I spent 10 days up there, and would you believe Satalite was down too. I freaked on the drive up, it was the same day Michael Jackson died. What would I do without Celebrity Gossip?!
By the end of that 10 days, it was a breath of fresh air. I didn’t really miss it. But 10 days was my max. I don’t know what I’d do without YouTube and people being scared videos!!
Internet fatigue? Oh, I understand completely. I get home at about 5 PM from work, ready to hit the book. Hot to write. But first, I’ll just check my e-mail/facebook/favorite blogs…and look up and it’s time to go to bed. And I am EXHAUSTED.
The internet is a harsh mistress.
Hi Jaye,
Just checking in to see how you’re doing!! I can identify with the internet submersion and I’ve gone the route of nearly checking out completely!! Not the right answer either but for now, I write a ton and only feel mildly guilty about not being on all the time…and I do miss your daily musings of course!!! Great post.