DEBORAH CROMBIE: With our recent mentions of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, I have been thinking about Dickens. An edition that includes his original manuscript is available on Kindle, and I've been peering at those scribbled pages in wonder.
How did he even decipher them, much less turn them into the published story that we read and love almost two hundred years later? It must have taken immense concentration and focus, as of course did the longer novels. And I have to wonder if we modern writers, spoiled by keyboards and word processing, could duplicate such a feat. (A CHRISTMAS CAROL was published in 1843 and the first commercial typwriter would not be available for another thirty years!)
The Times has been interviewing writers as part of a series on the shocking decline of reading in the UK. The author Zadie Smith was quoted as saying she does not have a smart phone, and that writers need to unplug in order to "protect our consciousness." That would mean a definite nix on social media...
Honestly, although I say I'm not a big fan of social media, and I'm always encouraging people to put down their phones and pay attention to what's going on around them (and to read a book!) I have to confess that I am a little addicted to Instagram. I follow a lot of London accounts and that gives me a sense of being there in real time. But lately I have been shocked when my phone sends me my weekly screen time report and I see I spent THAT much time on IG! (And, no, I'm not saying how much!) So recentlyI've been making an effort to cut back on my phone use, and I do feel that it's allowed me a little more creative space to let my mind wander.
To all the primary school teachers who told me to stop daydreaming, I have to say that experience proved you wrong. Daydreaming can be a very good thing, and it's certainly essential for writers.
I've cut back on my audiobook listening, too. As much as I've championed audiobooks as a way to enjoy reading, if I'm listening to a book while I'm washing the dishes or watering plants, my characters are not talking to each other in my head and I am not solving my latest plot hiccup.
I know asking if smartphones are draining away our creativity is a huge question, much bigger than anything we can tackle in this little space. But how do you feel, personally, dear Reds and other writers, and all of you dear readers here, because we are all creative even if our job is not putting words on paper.
Do you find that the distractions of your phone are taking up way too much time in your brain, and if so, how are you dealing with it?
P.S. There are writers managing to write massive novels. Check out this Washington Post list of the heaviest books of the year. I'd love to ask them how they deal with smart phone distractions.
P.S.S. Zadie Smith has written her own Victorian novel, called THE FRAUD, which is not quite Dickensian in length as it comes in at a mere 416 pages.
I bought it months ago but have not read it, because I'm too distraced. Sigh.
P.S.S.S. Also note that Dickens would have been using a dip pen. Fountain pens did not come into common use until the 1880s.
The amount of time people spend on their phones seems to be quite a topic of discussion these days. I like that my phone provides me with the opportunity to keep in touch with my children and grandchildren; I like that I can gather information easier these days. But it's so easy to let all those apps and games and social media and what-not take over your day, so I make a conscious effort to do other non-phone things . . . . .
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good balance, Joan!
DeleteVery much a double-edged sword. I love being able to keep track of things in Long Beach while I’m in Nice and vice versa. And we have friends in Nice who my husband met on Reddit. But it can definitely be a time sink and I can see how it would stifle creativity.
ReplyDeleteGreat peek at Dickens' page! Fun to think of him and earlier novelists sitting with pen and inkpot, meditating on the next word or sentence as the ink dried on the page.
ReplyDeleteI mostly use my phone for audiobooks but I, too, have thought about how this listening seals me inside a bubble of someone else's words, perhaps sealing out my own. My own wasted time is spent on my laptop. Julia once recommended a great program called FREEDOM that lets you block whatever you like for as long as you like. When I'm trying to write, I block all social media. (I could also block Gmail or anything else that distracts me.) Using it has been instructive. I had known I was distracted by social media, but I had not realized until I had the program how often I clicked over to it mindlessly, without even being aware. Finding myself multiple times in a morning staring at a green screen that says, "You're free!" has really brought it home. (Selden)
I have said I was going to try this, and I haven't done it. I think it's time!
DeleteYes! I've noticed I have to turn off outside distractions in order to mentally work on my writing. The "aha moment" came when my car radio wasn't working on a long drive: at the end of it I'd worked out all sorts of solutions in my writing.
ReplyDeleteI've worked out many a plot point in the car. I've also found myself in the next town because I got so involved in my story I missed my exit!
DeleteI'm totally guilty of listening to audio books while doing chores or driving or taking walks. I can't stand to think about the news and my characters chatter enough in the middle of the night. Sometimes I just need the distraction from all the world worries. If I never have to get on Facebook or Instagram again, I'd be happy because they are time gobblers. I know you're about there being so many distractions and yet here I am on Jungle Reds when I'm supposed to be writing!
ReplyDeleteHa, but WE don't count, Gerri!!!!
DeleteI always have my phone in my pocket, and I do pull it out sometimes in the evening when I'm reading. I scroll through Facebook and then get lost in short videos of babies and toddlers. But my daily walks are audio-free, and I often work through plot points. And I'm pretty good at doing hour-long sprints while I'm writing in the mornings, which include NO web browser action. Starting at 7!
ReplyDeleteI find myself switching over to the browser to check something on a map, and then I check my email, which I think is an even bigger distraction for me than the phone.
DeleteAs for Dickens, he didn't know any different, so it probably didn't seem like such a huge ordeal. If you wanted/needed to write, this is how you did it.
ReplyDeleteRegarding my phone and social media, oh yes, I get way too distracted. Every so often (like right now) I realize how much time I'm wasting and will correct the situation. Limit my time. Put the phone down. Avoid social media. I had dialed my internet time way down, but now that I have books to promote, I've had to amp it back up.
Unfortunately, you can't just stop posting in between books, because you lose your followers...
DeleteI spend more time on my iPad than ai do on my phone. And as I don’t like making phone calls I usually use it for checking email and FB (my only social media), texting and messaging. My problem is when I’m reading books (only print) and I look something up on my iPad (places, maps…) I go down rabbit holes and get distracted. I don’t listen to audiobooks at all -although if it would help my do more garden weeding perhaps (hah!). When I’m walking by myself I like to notice the flora and fauna around me, and I have conversations with myself, almost like writing in a diary. As a reader I really do appreciate the authors I follow who use social media, especially Facebook so I can “keep in touch” when I’m not reading their books.
ReplyDeleteSuzette, we love hearing that our social media presence is appreciated!
Delete❤️
DeleteI am one of those folks who specifically has chosen a dumb phone and I love it. Yes, I have a laptop, but usually at least one day a week I unplug from it. I find it very healing and freeing. My brain has time to create and not absorb what other folks have spun up out there. I will admit that I do miss specific things like this blog that nurture, inform and challenge me, but I can always take a moment to look back at those specific sites and catch up.
ReplyDeleteI read a study a few weeks ago that spoke to the fact that much of today's teen depression and anxiety could be linked directly to screen time. When they were systematically weaned from their screens each evening starting in manageable increments of 15 minutes and building from there, they had a marked improvement in mood and self-esteem. They even started monitoring themselves and continuing to use less and less screen time each evening. If it does that to young brains, what does it do to those of us with more mature brains? I often wonder if it truly does contribute to the dumbing down of society because we no longer have to work things out for ourselves when it can be delivered in the push of a few keys. So, for me, I will unplug as often as possible. I deserve it. -- Victoria
I read these studies all the time, Victoria. There is certainly evidence that phone use is rewiring our brains, and not in a good way.
DeleteAustralia has enacted the world's first ban on social media usage for users under the age of 16. I wish the US would take this more seriously and enact stricter rules to protect them.
ReplyDeleteI think writers will get their words out no matter the process. Look at what Shakespeare did! And Homer from Ancient Greece who composed or recited the Iliad and Odyssey from memory.
ReplyDeleteSo true!
DeleteDeborah ~ Isn't that original manuscript amazing?! I do hope the Kindle version also includes the Introduction section which explains how The Morgan Library & Museum of New York, keepers of the one and only 1843 original manuscript, took on their transcription of the handwritten text . You sent me scrambling to my Levenger publication to refresh my memory of the background history of how Charles Dicken's churned out this story in just six weeks...in time for the l843 Christmas season. And how he sent a note to a friend that December which read "I was very much affected by the little book myself". I do wish Levenger Press would publish another edition of the original manuscript; their first edition is dated 2011. Now more than ever it seems we need to be reminded of the message conveyed behind the story. Especially because of the pros and cons behind social media. After my husband and I unexpectedly lost a close friend in September of this year I decided to take a sabbatical from Facebook. Our friend Tim had no use for social media and I was reminded of that following his passing. When I whined about how hostile and hateful the media sites had become...all of us suddenly armchair experts about everything...my husband remarked that I was too entangled in Facebook and that by being on that site so much I was no longer living my own life's reality. I was losing myself in daily "doomscrolling" as well as trying to be a "cheerleader" to everyone and keep up with friend and family pages. Facebook was consuming a great deal of my time and I was starting to ignore those pastimes that always made me happy as well as ignore some of life's priorities. I decided to quit cold turkey the first week of October and while I admit to checking in on certain professional pages; i.e., horticulture, interior design, author and chef pages, etc., I only do so occasionally. The screen time you mentioned above has greatly decreased for me...a clear indicator that I was spending way too much time on Facebook. I wholeheartedly agree with what you wrote on today's blog. We spend too much time on our phones and computers and what a dangerous situation that can produce both mentally and physically. I wonder how you and the other Jungle Red authors and readers feel about the recent legislation passed in Australia regarding the social media ban to those under the age of 16.
ReplyDeleteEvelyn, my granddaughter will be ten in a couple of months and this is something I worry about all the time. I know a lot of kids are getting smart phones at this age or even younger, but my daughter says Wren shows no interest in them. She does use her mom's iPad, but she watches mostly craft videos. Her parents are very sensible so I'm sure they'll monitor things. I'm just glad I only have to make these decisions about smart phones and social media for my fictional characters!
DeleteI think Australia is smart to realize the dangers and to try to minimize it as much as possible. If I was younger and still raising my kids I'd think seriously about moving there for many reasons. Such as for gun control, health care, in addition to social media ban for kids under 18. My brother moved to Australia in the late 1970's. And he's never regretted it.
DeleteSince I don’t write but do do other things simultaneously, I seem to have changed from I-Touch to I-phone – only because most things will no longer go on I-touch. (I wonder what Dickens found was created obsolescence in his time - ?quills). I did find that when I did write editorials, that there were times that I could get lost in research on the internet, but it was usually just put my head down, and move on. Oh course, I often changed my mind and found myself re-doing what was once a great idea!
ReplyDeleteIt does mean that I am always having to relearn things – for instance, I just discovered that Hoopla will work on the phone – but I can’t make it actually find me. Guess I will have to wait for Christmas for Laura to set it up for me – I hate starting new things. I did discover that Annette’s books are available through there (The library does not carry them), and I would like to try them.
Today, I am going to bake – the stove came yesterday – hooray! It is all black inside and out, has a huge oven ( I was wondering if I could bake Hansel & Gretel?), and it so far cooks eggs well. I cannot bake and listen – my brain can’t follow two supposedly straight lines. I can listen to the radio though (not on the phone – real thing on the counter). Ready, Set, Baakkke!
I listen to a real radio a lot, Margo, and just made big contributions to our two local NPR stations - I would be devastated if they had to go under financially because of the evil government cuts. Have fun baking!
DeleteI love NPR but have not been able to listen lately. I can read about the news (in limited amounts, or I will do nothing but doomscroll all day) but I find listening to it really difficult emotionally. I know this means I'm missing all sorts of interesting non current event programmng, but for now this is the deal. I'm still supporting my local NPR and PBS stations, as I have for decades.
DeleteHooray on the stove, Margo!!! We can't wait for a report!
DeleteOne way I've unintentionally combatted dealing with phone addiction is that I use a flip phone. No smart phone here for me. My phone makes and takes phone calls and I do have texting. But I can't connect to the internet from my phone and that surely helps in dealing with how much time I spend looking at it. The most annoying thing I have to deal with on the phone is the spam calls, but I block the numbers once they come in.
ReplyDeleteFlip phones are apparently getting more popular with Gen Z ers who want to unplug. More power to them.
DeleteYes, I spend too much time on my phone scrolling Facebook and Instagram and doing various games and puzzles daily. I have gotten away from getting sucked into YouTube videos on my laptop though and I very rarely ever watch TV.
ReplyDeleteMy reading is way down and I am struggling to meet my goodreads goal this year. That is more attributed to an increase in pickleball and social activities this first year in Florida and not being able to stay awake for my usual bedtime reading.
Brenda, all those activities sound like healthy choices!
DeleteI, too, find myself squandering precious time mindlessly scrolling on my phone. And I have recently been noticing that even listening to books can contribute to a kind of "mindlessness" that worries me. I'm not too worried about the reading thing, because I still feel like I am feeding my brain rather than anesthetizing it with books. But I do try to keep it down to times when human interaction isn't an alternative. And to try to be alert to internal signals and allow myself some mental quiet time sometimes instead of turning on the book in every single free moment.
ReplyDeleteThe other things on the phone, though -- social media and games -- honestly provide little value and I have been trying to curtail them. I am reluctant to completely leave social media becaue it is still a way to stay a little connected to former classmates, coworkers, neighbors, and my extended family. But I have to admit that those valuable interactions make up only a small percentage of what I see there. I have already pulled back some, but I may pull back more. And as for games, other than the three I have chosen from the New York Times that I play daily, I could and probably should completely stop.
I do like staying connected with friends, and the writing community is a big one. But a quick check once or twice a day is enough.
DeleteMorning all ~ Paula B here, I stopped Facebook last spring bc it became very annoying with ads from all over the planet. Miss a couple sites now and then but not enough to get facebooked again. Did you know that listening to music on your iPhone adds to those numbers of use? So, I don’t follow the time, I just use it for calls, grocery lists which now I can’t leave at home as often. Texts from friends are fun and short. If I’m writing, I don’t pay any attention to those untimely messages. They will still be there when my stint is done. I do listen to books during housework but not cooking and not during walks. I pay attention to bird song, horn honks and anything else that is valuable. TV is my distraction at night. Too tired to create anything but working on a crochet project somehow makes TV watching seem less bad for my mind. Usually a good mystery will make the fingers fly. But every now and then . . .
ReplyDeleteI envy you, Paula. I've never been able to do anything with my hands while watching TV. My mom was always sewing or darning but I never picked up the skill.
DeleteWow, penmanship was vitally important back in the day, wasn't it? A writer would have to have burning motivation to get a story onto paper then, and then to edit! What a task, finding that one passage you wanted to change. It makes me exhausted to think about.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I do when I get a new phone is take all the games off, period. Otherwise it is just too tempting. Candy Crush is my bete noir. And Spider Solitaire. Now I limit myself to winning five games of Solitaire before bed, which is sometimes quick, and sometimes I barely win two before I conk out.
But the research ability is my favorite park of having a phone attached to the world. Last night my grandson was trying to describe the potato dishes he has learned to make, and the one he wants to make us for Christmas, Duchess potatoes. I was unfamiliar with the difference between Duchess, Chateau, and another dish, and with the tournee' cut necessary for a true Chateau. To the Google! We had a fun conversation around all things potato.
I always take the games off. So annoying. I do love having research at my fingertips, which I would put in a different category than scrolling on social media, etc. Sometimes smartphones really do make us smarter! Also, unlike Zadie Smith, I'm not willing to give up digital maps. Or my phone camera, which I love.
DeleteIt might put things in a little better perspective, if we're comparing outselves to Victorian writers, to remember that they were huge newspaper readers and letter writers, which surely took up a good deal of their time. On the other hand, those things were intentional, rather than mindless scrolling. Also, I think it's the frequency with which we are distracted by our phones (or iPads or laptops) not just the amount of time spent on the device.
ReplyDeleteI love having time with my thoughts, so I don’t listen to anything when I’m walking or doing chores—plus I wore a headset my whole career at 9-1-1 and am glad to be liberated from it! I’ve had some insights and ideas just letting my thoughts flow. I do appreciate the quick connection the phone gives me, but in-person time is better! I can’t imagine trying to write a novel longhand with a dip pen!
ReplyDeleteI don't listen to anything when I walk, either. I like to be present, and especially to pay attention to my dog.
DeleteOn the dip pen, I have one that I mostly using for testing new inks, but I actually love it. It's really fun to write with, and it's the first thing my granddaughter asks to do when she comes over. I've some lovely art she drew with the dip pen on my fridge!
It’s a tough predicament for sure. The answer for me is to not use any social media (I eliminated it all in 2016 and do not miss it), and only read blog posts/email newsletters (like JRR!). I briefly checked out Substack, but it was too much of the same thing for me and I immediately noticed how quickly I felt sucked in and lost way too much time on it. I keep in contact with anyone important to me via texting and calls. I only listen to audiobooks on long car or airplane rides, but my preference is still reading *real* books first and my Kindle second. I will admit to keeping a Pinterest account as I will hop on it for art and crafting inspiration every few days. I deliberately shifted to doing in-person activities (music/pottery/yoga classes), hands-on arts in my free time in hopes of maintaining my cognitive skills for as long as possible.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Stacia! That's good advice for us all.
DeleteYes good point Debs. I am constantly checking Google for quick info. For example, when I am watching TV or reading or listening to the radio something will be mentioned and I have to Google a person who was mentioned or look up a word, etc.
ReplyDeleteMy husband does this all the time. Sometimes I really want to know the answer, but I also don't want what I'm watching interrupted by him going down a rabbit hole...
DeleteOh, wow,that is incredible! I am fascinated by the manuscript--but as you say--well, hmm. That's a miracle that he or his publisher could decipher that. And yes, as for daydreaming, that's exactly why I am not a massive fan of audiobooks--I want to keep that sort of found "headspace" for my own thoughts, and for being present.
ReplyDeleteIG, though. It is really really tempting, and I am trying to stop, too.That's why I do my timer when I write.
One of the good things I do find about audio books, Hank, is that when I tend to get into a doom loop of stress/worry, listening to an audio book will stop it. Also my car radio! I kept my Sirius XM after the free trail expired in my new car, and I love it. Mostly I listen to Kelly Clarkson's channel, because I love her, and because her music curation is so eclectic. I read recently that listening to music every day is really important for keeping your cognitive function sharp, even for non-musical people like me.
DeleteGot off Facebook many years ago because I found myself feeling depressed if I went on. But I find my use of social media on my phone is also getting way out of hand and I am getting less and less productive. Time for a New Year's resolution, I think
ReplyDeleteI will make it with you, Anon!
DeleteI am off to do real world things for a bit--the Saturday farmers market, where I have a couple more little Christmas presents to pick up, as well as the usual food things. But I will be back!
ReplyDeleteI've never joined Facebook, Instagram, or any of the other social media primarily because I couldn't figure it out. Haha. But I'm glad I didn't join. My hub is on Facebook so I've gone on his a few times and I was disturbed by the amount of time that passes before I realize I need to get off and back to reality.
ReplyDeleteHowever cell phone with access to the Internet have all sorts of feeds that are a big waste of time but I still get sucked into the loop
As do we all!
DeleteI’m retired and my husband is still working. I find that the whole morning can fly by and all I’ve done is drink tea and look at my phone. (Don’t tell him, though I think he suspects!) I wouldn’t mind if I had been reading a book the whole time, but when I realize I was on Facebook, I feel like I ate cotton candy — just a bunch of junk food for my brain. And I drive my husband crazy when we are watching TV and I am IMDB’ing the actors and pausing the show to tell him what we’ve seen them in before. So yes, I need to cut back on my screen time. (I only listen to audiobooks when I’m doing mindless activities like laundry, dishes, weeding. Or long car rides. I find I can’t just sit and listen to an audiobook without doing something at the same time.) — Pat S
ReplyDeleteCotton candy is the perfect analogy, Pat. Cotton candy for the brain. Ugh.
DeleteNot my phone, but my iPad on which I spend too much time. My iPhone is 5 years old, is 3”x6” with its folio case. Its main use is alarms to keep me reminded of the time, traditional phone stuff, and summoning Uber. Phone gives me access to all the stuff on my iPad in the event a a power outage. iPad is my “eek I’ve been on this for how long!?” device. Really wish Apple still made the nice little phone. Elisabeth, the Luddite.
ReplyDeleteJust need to add the iPad is also my radio and my source of TV programs. Elisabeth
DeleteI finally got an iPad before Christmas last year, and I'm sorry to say (or maybe I should be glad?) that I use it mostly for reading. It's so much easier to organize Kindle and Audible. I have all the social apps but somehow have just never gotten the hang of them on it. My husband, on the other hand, spends way too much of his day on Facebook on his iPad.
DeleteIf I wrote my books longhand nobody, including me, would ever be able to read them! Worst scribble ever. The trouble is I try to keep up with my thoughts
ReplyDeleteAnd guilty of too much social media. I’ve given up X and only look at Instagram once in a blue moon and never TikTok Tok but I have to check my own Facebook group regularly
That's the thing, Rhys. Writers like Zadie Smith, whose every book is an instant bestseller in The Times, don't really have to worry about keeping up with a social media following. Whereas us lesser mortals do need to keep reminding our readers that we are around. But perspective again, Dickens and many other pre-internet writers answered copious amounts of fan mail!
DeleteAnd I am with you on the handwriting! For someone so obsessed with fountain pens, my handwriting is terrible.
I've found that when I pull up to my writing desk, writing longhand is the best way to get my creative juices flowing. Of course, once I'm in the flow, I need to transcribe anything worth keeping to the typed manuscript ASAP because I won't be able to read my lousy handwriting 24 hours later!
DeleteRobin, starting with handwritten notes really helps me, too. Somehow it primes your brain.
DeleteI feel guilty that I don't spend more time on social media for the sake of trying to grow my readership, but I've never moved into the modern era when it comes to Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, X, etc. I just don't look at them, which I'm sure means I miss a lot of important things. Luckily, my friends know this about me, so they contact me through email, WhatsApp, and video chats, and I use my computer for answering, not my phone. In fact, I use my computer for writing and looking stuff up much more than I use my phone. I even prefer my landline for talking to people and my computer for Zoom and other video chats. I use my phone for calls, short texts, listening to audiobooks, taking photos, paying in shops, setting the timer, counting how many miles I walk a day, opening our car doors, reading when I don't have my Kindle, identifying plants, buying train tickets, and confirming bank transactions, My life would be much more complicated without my phone.
ReplyDeleteI'll just add that my penmanship is worse than it used to be, and that's probably because I write so much less. But I do make to-do lists by hand still--and I manage to read those!
I’m disabled, an artist, and I don’t get out much, but social media on my iPad has allowed me to become part of some wonderful groups of artists, and to stay in touch with friends. That being said, I’m trying to be disciplined in the time I spend on it. Debs, you are responsible for many of the rabbit holes I’ve gone down! When I’m reading your books, with your wonderful descriptions of English culture and places, I NEED to know where and what is going on! And one thing leads to another, so….. I’ve spent some very enjoyable hours learning about people and places that I love so much, I think I must have lived there in another life! But I’m not a fan of audiobooks - I need my mind free to wander creatively.
ReplyDelete