Notes
Emma Hibbs
Adam Hisel
English 101
Distractions that come with writing and how to avoid them
Cory Doctorow’s “Writing in the Age of Distraction” starts by explaining to the reader the challenges one faces in a world of technology. He tells of how some distractions and problems come with technology, but also states ways to use it to one's advantage. In his article, Doctorow gives a list of techniques such as daily planning and goal setting for writing. Additionally, he used other techniques to maximize his concentration by not being picky with places to work, and by turning off notifications and separating the drafting and revision process. These have helped him have fewer distractions, improving his general writing process over time. Even then, he admits that his methods are not perfect and he still can get overwhelmed with work. But overall, these tactics have helped him stay ahead of work and avoid stressful situations.
Cory Doctorow is an award-winning author, who has many successful stories and a book on the topic of the impact of technology platforms, which confirms Doctorow is a reliable source on this topic (Clarke Foundation). These techniques' reliability comes from these accomplishments and evidence from the reading itself. Doctorow states that by using these methods he can put out “more than a novel per year” (117). When looking at his book collection this is found to be true, as he has truly been able to write a book every year since the early two-thousands (Graeme). His techniques have proven to work and put out amazing writing as these methods have earned the author three Locus awards, as well achieving being the only person to receive both the Campbell Award for Novel of the Year and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (Clarke Foundation). Doctorow has recently put out a new novel “The Internet Con: How To Seize The Means of Computation” which goes over the influence and impact technology has on society and the danger that comes with it (Bajak). With this information, the conclusion that his work is reliable is true and should be held to a high standard.
In this article, Doctorow is attempting to get the point across that his writing methods do work. He understands the distractions that come with technology, and how they hinder one's writing process because he has experienced the same challenges himself. Because of this, he wants to help others with their writing. He does this by informing others about the techniques that have worked for him. By telling the audience of these methods he is giving awareness to the fact that good writing doesn't take much, and with the help of his techniques others can do the same.
Doctorow has aimed this writing at his fellow authors and many others who might also experience the distracting qualities of technology while working. With this article, he is not only showing them that writing doesn’t have to be a long, miserable process full of distractions and difficulties, but it is something that one can accomplish over time with methods to limit those distractions that cause that writing to be challenging. He does this by explaining what has worked for him over time and gives multiple examples for people to try to achieve their work goals.
I believe this article to be very informative. It was clear on what point the author was getting across and gave valuable insight on ways to successfully write. It will be useful, not just for authors of books, but students as it helps with time management and the importance of removing distractions. I find it incredibly useful to apply it to my writing in the future and give myself time to complete a project without distraction.
One of his methods I can see myself using is having a regular work plan during the day, one that is concise, but effective. What stood out to me about this was that by just having short intervals of the day set for work or completing a goal, he has been able to complete a task as big as writing a book each year. It made me understand the importance of time management and not underestimating my ability to do major work projects. I understand now that just doing a little each day can do a lot.
By describing the impact of social media, emails, and other notifications, he made it very clear to me the importance of turning notifications off while working. There is no doubt that our phones can catch attention with just one ping, so this point he made is completely reasonable. I often find myself looking at my phone when I should be working, or getting distracted by a buzz and feeling the need to check it. Along with the notifications, I believe his advice to turn off autocorrect while writing is incredibly smart. Doctorow explains how the autocorrect system works and how though it is sometimes helpful, it’s a distraction. I found this to be true in my work as I always find myself wanting to immediately fix an issue when I see the autocorrect pop up, and that takes me out of my writing zone. So I will be taking his suggestion of turning those features off to continue my writing without pause to better my efficiency and work quality.
Cory Doctorow’s article gives a clear picture of what a good, efficient writing process is like. In doing so he clarifies his qualification to talk on a subject like this because of his history with writing and publishing novels. Doctorow gives the purpose of the article when he tells the audience of his methods that have helped him be a strong writer. In doing so he aids his target audience by giving authors and anyone who might struggle with writing in this high technological age advice on how to improve in simple steps. He also was able to leave a great impression on me, as I will be using his writing techniques in the future to better my own experience while writing and achieve my goals to put out good work.
Bajak, Frank. “Book Review: Novelist and Blogger Cory Doctorow Pens a Manual for Destroying Big Tech.” AP News, AP News, 12 Sept.. 2023, https://apnews.com/article/internet-con-doctorow-book-review-
9a5645c075fa495f701481d50f3917c8 . Accessed 11 Oct. 2023.
“Cory Doctorow.” The Arthur C Clarke Foundation, 11 Oct. 2023, https://clarkefoundation.org/cory-doctorow/ . Accessed 11 Oct. 2023
Doctorow, Cory. “The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation.” Harvard Book Store, Verso, 5 Sept. 2023, www.harvard.com/book/the_internet_con/#:~:text=How%20Big%20Tech%20like%20Fa
cebook,author%20and%20 leading%20technology%20 critic. Accessed 11 Oct. 2023.
Doctorow, Cory. “Writing in the Age of Distraction.” The Commons: Tools for Reading,
Writing, and Rhetoric, edited by Jill Parott and Dominic Ashby, EKU, 2009, 116-119.Accessed 11 Oct. 2023
Graeme. “Cory Doctorow.” Book Series in Order, 16 July 2021, www.bookseriesinorder.com/cory-doctorow/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2023.
Distractions that Come with Writing and How to Avoid Them by Emma Hibbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0.
Hibbs, Emma. “Distractions that Come with Writing and How to Avoid Them.” The Commons: Tools for Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric (2nd ed.), edited by Jill Parrott and Dominic Ashby, Eastern Kentucky University, 2026.