Surface tension

My greatest daily struggle for writing is just getting started. I set aside time, sit down to write, and suddenly everything in the world is more interesting than writing. It literally takes me 30 minutes of alt tabbing between my document and the internet until I settle down and start really writing. Once I get rolling I'm good, and I wonder why the hell it took me so long. So I resolve that tomorrow, I will get started right away. But, of course, I don't, and I waste another 30 minutes trying to get back into the zone.

I’ve started call this 30 minute buffer my "surface tension." Every time I sit down to write, I have to break through the membrane of thought which separates the real world from the world of my novel. Of course, this little hiccup would be no problem if I had all day to write, but when I’ve got 2 hours to get my goal of 1200 words, 30 minutes is ¼ of my total time wasted, which isn’t something I’m willing to put up with. So my current quest is to find a way to break through faster.

So tonight I’m going to try 2 new things:

1) Eliminate distraction – write on the lap top with the internet turned off, sitting far away from all interesting books.
2) Calm my mind and get into the world while I’m driving home, so I can walk in the door and get started.

We’ll see how these work.