No more distractions

Writers write.

Yes, we also promote ourselves and our work; study the writing craft as well as the publishing business; and read. A lot. But the priority is to write. If we don't write, we won't have a tangible product to sell. Unfortunately, there are a lot of distractions, aren't there? How do you deal with them?

The Internet is my main weakness. A dear friend, Lori Foster, created a wonderful MySpace page for me. I love the page. It's beautiful, and she created a lot of cool features. I'm very grateful to her. Unfortunately, Sunday alone, I spent five hours checking out my MySpace page, sending "friend" requests, and posting and reading comments. It's really addictive, isn't it? But I've got to finish my manuscript.

Quick segue, if you're interested, I'd love for you to "friend" me at MySpace.com/PatriciaSargeant. Thank you!

E-mails are another big distraction for me. I want to know what other people are doing, what they're talking about, what they're writing - when they aren't sending e-mails. In fairness, I've learned a lot about the business and craft of writing from these loops. The latest discussion on one of my writers loops is the pros and cons of performance bonuses. That's important stuff. But I've got to finish my manuscript.

Should I even mention television? I know. I know. Just turn it off. How do you turn off Law & Order? Yes, I've seen that particular episode three times. I can probably recite it back to you. But I love the scripts' twists and turns. And Tru.TV, formerly Court TV. What a line up: Forensic Files, North Mission Road. Don't forget Murder by the Book.

So how do you deal with these distractions, especially the Internet?

Patricia