Every writer needs a little writer fuel, whether it’s fueling your body, or your mind. Every week, staffers at Camp NaNoWriMo HQ will be telling you about the food and the music that inspires them. Today, our program director Chris Angotti shares the secret to a balanced internet diet:
There’s a song by this band Dogbreth. It’s called “Appetite for Distraction” and it starts like this:
Like how it’s harder to work on what I need / To work on
When there’s internet / When there’s internet in my room
The vocalist, Tristan Jemsek, plaintively sings the intro over a simple guitar lead. His hanging lyrical phrase (“To work on”) and false start to the second line suggest an uncertain narrator, and “in my room” implies insularity—a bunch of potential backstory in a small amount of time.
But I want to focus on what he’s saying, and how I’ll bet every single person reading this can relate:
It is really, really freaking difficult to get anything productive done when there’s this wide world of temporarily amazing stuff available at a swipe.
There are dogs! And babies! And dogs with babies! There are a million Girls thinkpieces. There are constant casting reveals of the latest YA movie adaptation. There are potential outrages around every corner, and an infinite number of conversations to join in on. And that’s before you even find out which pop star should be your best friend.
You know this, and I’m sure you’ve fallen prey to the time-suck of, like, “Get Lucky” lipdub videos. We all have.
The next lines of “Appetite for Distraction”:
Or how it’s harder to cook a wholesome meal / For myself
When there’s pasta / When there’s pasta in the cupboard
So, the narrator is equating easy, empty internet time with the fall-back simplicity of a big pot of pasta—something that won’t be taxing, but is of little nutritional value on its own.
Here’s the thing: the internet
Stroke signs, like pasta, can be part of a balanced diet.
You’re here because you are a creative person with stories to tell. When you sit down at your computer, writing should always be your primary purpose. Spend as much time as you can doing it, whether it’s by disabling your Wi-Fi, installing Freedom, or practicing old-fashioned self-control.
But occasionally, you gotta see some dogs hanging out with some babies. And sometimes, there’s nothing better than a whole mess of pasta
Grand Cru Cellar. It’s all a matter of proportion, figuring out how to make your internet time and your noodles as nourishing as possible.
Don’t be ashamed to go down a rabbit hole of Frasier GIFs, as long as you always return to what you need to work on.
And cook that pasta, but make it a wholesome meal—like these recipes for Whole-Wheat Rigatoni with Roasted Vegetables; Whole-Wheat Pasta with Edamame, Arugula, and Herbs; and Kale and Sun-Dried Tomato Whole-Wheat Spaghetti
Offsite Backup Strategy.
PR
