I’m sure you’ve heard it before—to the internet is a distraction from writing. Whether you’re trying to write an English paper or a novel, you often hear the advice to turn off your Wi-Fi connection until you’re done, and put your phone in another room to avoid the temptation of social media.
But what if you use the internet to fact-check as you go? Is it worth it to leave that for your editing session? Does the internet really quash creativity?
This week, I wanted to find out. Here’s what happened.
Side note: that glorious typewriter…
I found a typewriter in my parents’ basement this week, and if you follow me on Instagram, you know that I was absolutely ecstatic.
As much as I wanted to try writing a bit of my book on that beautiful machine, the ink ribbon was too dry, and a few other parts were in desperate need of repair — a sticky E would have been annoying, and the lack of an S would have been unbearable.
Maybe someday I’ll repair that dusty ticker and disappear into a cabin in the woods, emerging after a few weeks with a masterpiece punched perfectly into the paper.
But for the purposes of my rule-following this week, I simply used my trusty laptop computer.
NO-INTERNET RULE #1: COMPLETELY DISCONNECT
For me, this meant I set had to set aside time for internet-free writing. I disconnected my computer from Wi-Fi and put my phone far away. It was just me and my fifty-page book-in-progress.
I was actually shocked at how often I was tempted to open a search window in the middle of my writing session. I didn’t realize how much I’ve come to rely on the internet. Automatically, it seems, I open a new tab for every little thing. I use the web to look up synonyms, to double-check mundane facts, and even look up images of things like trees or castles to help give me a visual as I describe them.
But as I continued to write without the distraction of the internet, I found that it forced me to think more creatively. I had to use my imagination to picture scenes before writing them, instead of just describing an image from my search. Or I had to come up with a synonym in my head instead of searching for the perfect word online.
It sounds kind of pathetic, doesn’t it?
NO-INTERNET RULE #2: NO SOCIAL MEDIA
As I mentioned before, I decided to put my phone far out of reach while I was writing this week. Without even the ding of notifications to distract me, my writing time had far fewer interruptions.
Once I get going, I can crank out chapters easily, and the time flies. But when my phone is next to me, even if it’s face-down and on silent mode, there’s still the temptation to pick it up and mindlessly check my email or scroll through social media.
Don’t call me a boomer, but I really appreciated the lack of interruptions this week without the internet. Although it’s great to have Google at your fingertips to do a quick search, I think it’s worth trying to write without it, at least for a few days. I’m not sure how long this habit will last for me, but it’s definitely a good idea to keep internet-time and writing-time separate.
And I definitely need to look into repairing that typewriter.
What do you think? Comment some pros and cons of using the internet while you write.
If you like this post, be sure to check out some of my other Writing Rules Project posts! Here’s one to get you started.