Ms. Q, Interrupted

 Busily typing. Much words. Eloquence and story glue paste across my screen as I finally make some headway with my interstellar enigma of a character Ms. Q, not to be confused with the spy because Ms. Q isn't actually her full name and she contains zero grams of stealth capabilities.

 Phone. Cleverly prerecorded telemarketers and a persistent father later: phone smash. I'm the only person on Earth that wishes to not own a phone. I submit to the general public more acceptable file formats for communication transfers to my office:

Telegraph
Homing pigeons
Pony Express

I'll even tip with carrots!

 Now I'm found with an hour less than I had before, and only a silly little graphic to raise awareness of the plight of Incoming Distractions. Though I suppose, until I actually finish one of these darn novels I won't have any more rights than other folks to officially be registered as a part-time hermit. You have to have serious creds to get a license these days. Maybe I should steal one from this certain Ms. Q, whose entire existence is spent in ice caves and small space ships.

 Until I get a dimension hopper or a Hermits United card, however, I must pause my negotiations with character development and go out into the sun for the afternoon. Another day, another life lesson. Maybe I'll come across a person that has some really freaky laugh that catalyzes this entire character arc. Or perhaps not, as I'm likely to be trading one computer screen with another for the duration of remaining coherency hours. Tot ziens hippie knitters!

*disclaimer: I'm not usually this unsociable, just cranky that I only receive incoming distractions when I happen to be focusing!

Word Heights

  The only thing worse than the fear of bad writing is the fear of a blank page. You could probably do a scientific article on this subject and find this to be true for most writers. Filling a blank page is one of the hardest things there is in writing, whether it’s a grade school essay or a scene in your novel.

  For most cases this type of writer’s block doesn’t even have to do with a lack of ideas, but the visualization of that scene in your head, and the massive cliff you’re going to have to climb up to get through it. Sometimes I block off my fear of word-heights by closing my eyes (as I’m typing now) or covering my screen with a blanket and listening to instrumental music so the only thing my brain can wander through are these words (ye olde brain is not much of a multi-tasker).

  I find it hilarious to read through writing magazines and come across these loaded pieces of advice about writer’s block, like you can get a college degree in anti-procrastination and high-concept idea making. You probably can, but I still think that when you are a writer, you can’t really be taught how to get ideas. You have to search and find the way by yourself, because writing is all about the journey of life through your hands. While most of us probably use tools such as images and prompts, we all use them in different ways.

  Learn how to use words as your tools. Pay attention to what makes ideas click in your head. Pay attention to what you’re trying to say, and hardwire a failsafe against your urge to procrastinate. Make sure that the second you think "Facebook is a click away" you finish the sentence with "from missing out on the best paragraph I've written in my life".