Your Writing Brain Is Under Attack

and no one is coming to save us.

Uplifting title, I know. Sorry about that. But I’m once again pondering (ruminating on?) a topic that I am endlessly fascinated by and concerned about—the constant attack on our attention, our ability to think deeply about things, and our capacity to create.

This isn’t a new topic. It’s not breaking news. The internet, our phones, and our connection to all things digital—all of it has changed us. It’s still changing us, and it’s not going to get better. No one is coming to save us from ourselves. In fact, it’s only going to get worse. (Generations behind us may think—hey, why do I need to learn how to write things—or THINK THINGS—because A.I. can do it for me?)

But even if we set aside things like AI, our most precious resources as writers—our attention, our creativity, our imagination—are already under daily attack in all these little insidious ways. And we feel it.

…hmm, why can’t I sit through a movie anymore without picking up my phone?

…why do my hands always need to have something in them?

…why do I keep getting the glimmer of a story idea or a scene or a character but then I can’t grab it or hold onto it?

…why have I spent an hour debating something with someone on some random social media network when I could’ve been happier or more productive doing literally anything else—including sitting and staring into space?

…why is boredom so damn uncomfortable when I used to be able to let my mind wander and create?

…why do I feel exhausted at the end of the day but don’t have much to show for it?

*Note: If you have ADHD or other neurodivergence, some of these things might be a natural part of that. However, most of us know if these behaviors/experiences are “new” in our lives in relation to when more tech showed up or if that’s how we’ve always been wired.

The list could go on, and it’s going to be personal to you, but I know we’re all feeling the effects in some way.

I thought I had done a lot of personal work on this—and I have. I teach a class on it, dammit. But still, I’m not immune to getting swept up again. I was reminded of that these past few weeks when I decided to check out the social network, Threads.

Why did I decide to do this? Who knows? I’d abandoned Twitter years ago because of how distracting and toxic it had become. Why I would look at a clone like Threads and think, “Oh, this will be fine!”? I don’t know.

I’m sure you can guess what happened. A week or so into my Threads experience (even as a passive consumer and not an active engager), I found myself clicking on the app to check it multiple times a day. And what was on there? Well, just in the short time I was checking, at least three different author/reader kerfuffles surfaced.

You know how that goes. The pattern is predictable. There are all these authors and readers saying their opinions on x topic and then all these other authors and readers sharing their opposing opinions on x topic and then arguing back and forth and back and forth. *sings Lambchop’s “The Song That Doesn’t End”*

And it just made me…sad.

Because if those authors are spending all that time there arguing something that, in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t really matter (because there is no “right” opinion in most cases), that means they’re not working on something creative. They’re not having fun with their characters or coming up with new worlds or creating a clever bit of dialogue. And those readers who are also arguing are not reading their next great book or having a laugh with their family or creating their own interesting things.

And I don’t blame those who get caught up in this. We’ve all been there. (I have to sit on my hands sometimes not to comment on a debated topic.) The algorithms are designed to do that, to play on our human wiring, to manipulate us. So then I just get mad at the whole system.

But once again. No one is coming to save us. So, we have to save ourselves.

Saving Ourselves

I took Threads off my phone this week, but Threads is only a drop in the bucket. I’m tired of just using those types of workarounds. Instead of just playing defense by taking things away or blocking them, I want to play offense.

One of my go-to gurus in this area is author Cal Newport (of Deep Work fame.) If I find myself slipping into old habits, I go back and read one of his books or listen to a few episodes of his podcast. I listened to two episodes this week that gave me some great offense tactics that I’m going to implement.

The first is his idea of Deep Distractions (here’s the podcast episode where he goes into it.) The gist is that instead of reaching for your phone and the quick hit distraction, you reach for something deeper to relax with. A book instead of a social media app. A movie instead of YouTube. Going to lunch with a friend instead of staring at strangers on TikTok.

I love this idea. This kind of thing is what I’ve been working on for a few years already. I’ve tried to be more deliberate about making time to watch movies or TV shows because—story! It’s necessary input for a writer. I also read a lot. I listen to audiobooks. I try to read thoughtful newsletters instead of quick social media bites. I listen to podcasts.

In general, I’ve tried to improve my media diet (and that’s not to say you have to watch all high-brow movies or whatever. I just mean it’s not quick internet stuff.) But I still look at my phone a lot. I still take up time with internet-ing when I could be doing these other things. So I’m going to work on that.

Then, Cal had another recent episode called How to Think that I really enjoyed as well. (note: the episodes are called different things on YouTube than on the podcast app, so it’s a different title. I prefer the podcast titles to the splashy ones he uses on YouTube.) I’m not going to go through all his points on this one. It’s a lot, so it’s better to listen to the episode. But I am going to implement some of his training strategies for rebuilding some of my deep thinking/deep focus muscles.

Defense and offense this time.

Because clearly when I’m not vigilant, even when I put up good defenses, things get through.

And I’m over it. I want my brain back. All of it.

I want that for all of us.

Don’t let the dopamine peddlers win. I want your books. Not your next TikTok. I want to see your beautiful creative brains operating at their full, amazing potential. I want to read those stories.

Hopefully, I’ll have some to tell, too.

I’d love to hear where you’re at with all of this. I know I’m not alone in fighting this battle. Click the button to share. We’re all in this together!

A book rec

Also, as one of my “do this instead of that” strategies, I’m going to make an effort to read a little about writing each day. I’m always inspired when I read other writers talking about writing, so I thought it might be a great practice to read a little something each day.

If you also get inspired by reading about writing, I just finished 1000 Words by Jami Attenberg and I devoured it. It was one of those books where I become an over-underliner because there are so many great nuggets I want to return to.

Jami Attenberg

gives her own insights about writing, which are fantastic, but through her 1000 Words project, she also had a group of accomplished writers contribute their own letters of encouragement. If you’re looking to feel good about writing again or just want to feel a kinship with other writers who are in the trenches, this is a great book to have on your desk or bedside.

---

Alright, that’s all I have for you today. We’re bracing for potential ice here in Texas, so I’ll be hunkering down this weekend. I hope you’re staying cozy wherever you are!

(Oh, also, if you’ve noticed that this letter is back on Substack, it’s because they reversed course on the issue that made me leave. Sorry for any confusion with the back and forth.)

Have a great weekend!

Roni

*All book links are bookshop.org affiliate links