“Time for a (no added sugar) Ribena”

I noted the other day that I felt I had been “in the zone” while writing. It was flowing pretty easily, and I hoped it would continue. And it has. I’m back on my daily treadmill pace of 3 to 5 decent pages minimum.

If you can keep that up within about “100 days” you’ve almost got yourself a book. (Proofing, editing, etc., follow of course.) I tend also to write in spurts of about 30 minutes to an hour, and recently read we’re most work productive generally in bursts like those. So I can now say that, yes, that does seem to apply to me.

From Psychology Today, “Best Rest Practices for Optimal Productivity and Creativity,” April 30, 2012 [Screen capture by me.]

I’m sometimes so focused I’m returned to the present day from my fictionalized mid-1990s only when I realize…. “Ouch, I haven’t moved in over half an hour and my right leg is now asleep from sitting on it.”

Then I think, what’s up on the iPad in social media world? I’ll take just a second and have a look….

[Swipe, tap, tap.] Emails, emails…. Oh, five WordPress blogs I follow have just posted. I’ll check them out.

Time for a (no added sugar) Ribena. I can’t have another coffee. I’ll be bouncing off the walls. [Takes iPad into kitchen and props it up on the counter.]

Ribena. Three quarters finished. But there’s another in the cupboard. [Photo by me, 2015.]

Ribena poured, I notice a response on Twitter. I got Favorited! She doesn’t favorite much. I wonder why she did?

And he @’d me. He’s usually amusing. Now I need a witty @ in reply.

And who’s that new follower? Hmm, hard to tell. I wish I did, but I don’t understand Turkish.

Wait. That Sara Bareilles album is repeating itself. Maybe I ought to give it a rest.

Another email. Someone complimented me on About.me and put me in a writers’ collection! Wonder what he does for a living? Look at that photo! That’s seriously artistic!

And all those people who’ve viewed me so far today. Let me have a quick glance back at them.

What the? [The pings startle me.] Three tweet notifications just popped up. [Back to Twitter.] She hasn’t tweeted in a couple of days. Hmm, what she’s suddenly got to say? She was just in Amsterdam. She’s probably in Mali now or something.

Another email. She’s changed her profile photo AGAIN? [I stop myself.] No way I’m going near Facebook; that’s family and personal friends. I’m supposed to be writing. I can’t get immersed in the infant photos, cat videos, and political haranguing (and, good grief, not another play Candy Crush invite!) right now. It’ll be 4pm by the time I escape.

Sorry, where was I?

Anyway, just watch out with the “social media” stuff. It’s useful, and can be fun; but it can also be way too seductive. Much as you might wish you could engage with everyone within seconds, if you’re too social you’ll never finish the book! 😉

Have a good Wednesday, wherever you are in the world.

Uh, I’ll get back to you. I promise. 🙂