Monday, May 9, 2016

No End in Sight - Good or bad?

Some people dream of an endless summer, endless love, or even an endless life. Romantic notions, but in reality, do we really want endless? I quite like good things coming to an end. Without an end, you can't have a new, exciting beginning. Endings, especially happy endings, let us look back and fondly remember. I also am more than happy to find the end of endless edits, endless dull meetings, and endless colds.

This to brings us to Misha Gerrick's latest release, ENDLESS! An exciting dilemma of immortal proportions! And today, she's offering a guest post on the endless headaches of technology and what to do in the down time... Take it, Misha!

Five things a writer can do when the internet is down

I recently had to move house, which meant that for almost a month, I got stuck with no internet. Tara thought it would make a good subject for my blog post, so here’s the top 5 things writers can do without internet: 

1) A lot. 

I know, right? No Facebook. No Twitter. No distractions. It makes for much higher productivity compared to when we’re connected. 

So drink lots of water to get through your internet withdrawal ASAP, and then pick a project you want to work on. Depending on how long you’re going to be stuck without Internet, you might actually be able to finish one. 

(I finished three.) 

2) Read. 

Okay, so you’ll suddenly find yourself with a lot more spare time than you’re used to. So go to a book store and pick up some book to read. Or, if you’re like me, start catching up on all the books you haven’t been able to read lately because you’ve been too busy writing. 

3) Plan ahead. 

Just because you don’t have Internet doesn’t mean that your hands are tied. You can still write a ton of blog posts that you can schedule ahead once you’re connected again. You can also start thinking about what you need to get done for your marketing once you’re able. 

4) Spring Clean

Yeah, I know how we tend to say something along the lines of “I would, but I need to write a few chapters first.” Funny how procrastination for writing rarely extends to house chores. But now, while you’re internet free, you’ll have time. So use it to do some of the things you just never seem to get time for. 

5) Miss the Internet. 

I’d like to say that my increased productivity meant that I hardly ever felt the lack of connection. Sadly… no. 

I’d lie if I said that the month I was offline didn’t feel like I’d amputated one of my hands. It did. And the longer I was without it, the more I longed to plug in again. 

And yet, now that I’m online, I miss being unplugged. Go figure. 

What do you do when you’re stuck without an internet connection for long periods of time? 

Thanks so much Misha!
Now here's her fabulous new release, ENDLESS!

“First, do no harm.” Blake Ryan swore that oath to become a doctor. Ironic, given that he spent most of his thousand year life sucking souls out of other immortals. 

Things are different now. Using regular shots of morphine to keep his inner monster at bay, Ryan has led a quiet life since the Second World War. His thrills now come from saving lives, not taking them. 

Until a plane crash brings Aleria into his hospital. Her life is vibrant. Crack to predators like him. She’s the exact sort of person they would hunt, and thanks to a severe case of amnesia, she’s all but defenseless. 

Leaving Aleria vulnerable isn’t an option, but protecting her means unleashing his own inner monster. Which is a problem, because his inner monster wants her dead most of all.


Misha Gerrick lives near Cape Town, South Africa, and can usually be found staring at her surroundings while figuring out her next book.

If you’d like to see what Misha’s up to at the moment, you can find her on these social networks:


Have a great week everyone!

16 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Stuck without Internet for a long time would be a bout three hours for me. Can't imagine a whole month. But I could find stuff to do - practice my guitar, read, exercise, watch television...

Sarah Foster said...

Three projects done?? Wow, I think I should unplug my router. Then maybe I'll stop complaining about never getting any writing done...

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Tara and Misha - Misha's first sentence appearing in her Endless quote above - "First, do no harm" ... that would strike me for the no internet challenge ...

I could find things to do ... but I do plan using the m/c ... I'd shrug my shoulders and get on with something ... cheers to you both - Hilary

Victoria Marie Lees said...

Oh-my-gosh, no internet? Like you say, that's when I catch up with writing, with reading, with home chores. Now...if I can just have the family "go down" once in a while... Thanks for sharing Tara!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I'm sure I would read more and spend more time outside. Take longer walks and visit the bookstore all the time. Probably to use their internet. LOL

Anonymous said...

Heck, the internet is down for an hour and I sit around and pine for it. LOL Okay, I'm not that bad, but I do have a few minutes where I feel a bit lost because it's not there and how did I manage myself before it existed???

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

As much as I enjoy the Internet, I think I'd get along just fine without it. I'd certainly be a lot more productive with OTHER aspects of my life, that's for sure. When we know there are emails or blogs or research or whatever "waiting for us," guilt can sometimes make us respond, even if there might be something else we'd rather be doing. Without the internet, no guilt, because we "can't" go online. But then again, I'm an old broad. I don't even have a cell phone. :)

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Considering how much I do is connected to the Internet, I go into panic mode when it goes down.

Juneta key said...

No internet, oh no. Good post and tips. I will be moving again this year so it may be something I have to put some thought into as well. Congrats on the book release.
Happy Writing,
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

Kelly Steel said...

Great tips, Misha. Congratulations on the release of your book!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Excellent tips! It almost makes me want to unplug for a week or two . . . almost. :)

Mark Murata said...

I would write a lot. How about that?!

Misha Gerrick said...

Three hours without Internet sounds horrible to me too. :-)

Sarah, sometimes I think I should go unplugged more often, but I just can't bring myself to do it.

Hilary, I also find a million things to do, but it still gets to me.

Victoria, I don't think it'll happen unless you take them somewhere awesome that has no internet.

LOL Susan sounds like a plan.

Patricia I know what you mean. After a day or two, it starts feeling like someone chopped off my hand.

Susan, the guilt thing worked for about the first week, but after that, the guilt came back and the withdrawals kicked in. ;-)

Diane, I do the same thing. I love my Internet.

Best of luck with the move, Juneta!

Thanks Kelly!

Tyrean, I think about it every now and then, but my Internet addiction doesn't allow it. ;-)

Mark, that's one of the best things about no internet.

Crystal Collier said...

You know, part of me would really love to get stuck without the internet for a while. I remember what life was like before it took over EVERYTHING. Lots more actual living. More of that, please. Not sure I'd get more writing done, but I'd probably create more music.

Christine Rains said...

I'm perfectly happy reading or playing games when the internet is down. I do that when I have a good connection too! :)

Nas said...

Congratulations Misha! And awesome tips too!

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