#you have ENOUGH random hobby distractions you don't need another one to add to the stack you never even finished that last jigsaw puzzle

[rubenesque-as-fuck]

Weekends are just a never-ending argument with myself about why I need to stop spending money on things in what feels like a Sisyphusian effort to feel less sad

#it doesn't MATTER that those cute heels are on super sale dumbass!! #because you never fucking go anywhere to wear heels and have nobody to wear them for so they languish in your closet 99% of the time #you don't NEED another tattoo no matter how fun they are or how happy the idea makes you #you SHOULDN'T go get fancy weekend food there's cheap shit at home aren't you supposed to be on a budget idiot #you have ENOUGH random hobby distractions you don't need another one to add to the stack you never even finished that last jigsaw puzzle #but then like counter-argument... when I don't do things that make me feel better at least for a little while then i just think about dying #and being empty and alone and having my whole life stretching ahead of me in a featureless fog until i die anyway #so maybe it's ok to say fuck my budget and go get that nice sandwich and maybe see how much a small new tattoo might cost #because it's not like my budget will matter if I just Succumb To The Horrors #retail therapy #depression #honestly money spent and calories consumed on the weekends just shouldn't count 😤

[thequibblah]

Hi!! I have a few q re: how you manage your time with writing, your other hobbies, and job. Do you allot a specific time of the day to writing or write whenever inspiration strikes? And do you have any tips for blocking out distractions when you try to meet deadlines? Much love to you and ct 💞

hey @crimson-snitch, i think this was you with anon on by accident LOLLL. thank you for the love!

i am incredibly, shockingly neurotic about managing my writing, mostly because i've been doing it long enough that i know exactly what habits suit me best. so i think my first piece of advice would be know thyself, art of war style.

when i first worked on a long piece of original fiction, i kept a spreadsheet tracking my writing sessions, and noted down time of day, word count, what distractions i had, and how i felt after i'd finished. this, i'll admit, was pretty insane of me, but enormously helpful — mostly because i know what time(s) of day i'm most comfortable writing, and with what accompaniments (unsurprisingly, with music and without wifi).

you don't have to go that far but keeping some kind of diary about how you feel about writing is a great way to understand how your own brain works!

personally i write best undisturbed during afternoons or nights, mostly because of the lack of distractions during those times. i am also one of those people who likes writing something every day, so i try to type random nonsense into my phone at the very least. this isn't at a specific time of day, just whenever i get a few moments to myself. i tend to be turning over thoughts in my head as is, so i type out what i have planned, OR i just reread the last thing i was working on and add onto it a bit.

there was also a period of time a couple of months ago when i was doing a very good job of writing every night and leaving a note for myself in the morning — i.e. "write this scene next, don't forget to fix x detail," which was very helpful because it's hard feeling like you're staring at a blank page, even when you're me and you have three different outline formats lol

as for blocking out distractions... i am very bad at this hahaha but mostly the biggest problem is the internet, so i try to turn off wifi (gasp!) or, if i need the internet for research, i use a website-blocking app like self control to block me from actual distractions. another thing i like doing because i'm very competitive is writing in sprints or timed sessions, because then i tend to be focused enough for a short burst of time that i can't let myself drift off-course. i'm pretty sure some come together chapters are the product of 5-6 hours of straight 30-minute sprints with water breaks in between!

#ask me #anon #hope this heeeelps #writing tag