The Internet Is Not Going to Write Your Novel For You

It seems like writers are so dependent on the internet. It's how we find information about agents, how we do research for our novels, and is as we all know a HUGE distraction.

And why is this?

Sometimes I tell myself it's because I ALWAYS have something I need to look up. Which often is other books to use as comp titles, or other books in my genre I need to read.

Sometimes I feel like I need some uplifting advice from others on Twitter (and we all know the rabbit hole that becomes).

But ultimately I find that I don't actually know what I'm looking for...yet I do.

We all do.

When we get frustrated, or stuck, or discouraged, we look to the internet to solve our problems. We act like the magic answer is somewhere deep in cyberspace that will tell us what we need to know to make our novel stand out in the slush pile even though we know it doesn't exist.

An article is not going to get your book written.

A twitter post is not going to get your book written.

Another Google search is not going to get your book written.

Only you can write your book for you, and there's nothing magical that anyone else out there has to say that will turn it from a jumbled pile of words to a polished trophy.

I suppose writing a blog post won't get the job done either... ;)

So get back to writing and admit to yourself that you are really going to the internet for a distraction :)

...

What are your thoughts? Do you feel the same? How do you buckle down?