Punish the Procrastinator! A Review of the Write or Die App
By Kayla Skarbakka and Nik Nadeau, Writing Consultants
You have a looming deadline and are just about to start that
paper when you notice the dust bunnies under your desk. A text from your
daughter. That new episode of Parks and
Recreation on Hulu.
Sound familiar? Oftentimes, “sitting down to write” means
“doing everything I can think of to avoid writing.” If you—like many of us in
the Writing Center—find yourself in that situation a bit too frequently, you
might want to check out Write or Die, a
free online application (also available for purchase on iPad or Desktop) that
helps writers combat procrastination.
According to Write or Die’s creator, the so-called “Dr.
Wicked,” the app uses negative reinforcement to get writers to put words on the
page. Using the app is simple: set yourself a time and word goal and get to
work. As long as you keep typing into the text box, you are in the clear.
Think twice, though, before pausing to read that new e-mail
or grab another cup of coffee. If you stop typing for more than a few seconds,
you face consequences ranging from a gentle pop-up reminder to keep writing
(Gentle Mode) to an unpleasant sound that persists until you continue typing
(Normal Mode) to self-erasing text (Kamikaze Mode). The final consequence
level, “Electric Shock Mode,” is, fortunately, not actually a usable option.
In the words of Dr. Wicked, “the idea is to instill in the
would-be writer… a fear of not writing” (“Write or Die,” 2013, para. 6), giving
writers real and immediate consequences for self-sabotaging behaviors.
Intrigued by this idea, writing tutors and professional procrastinators Kayla
and Nik decided to try the application to help them with their own writing
projects.
Kayla’s Take
After playing around with the various consequence options
available in the Write or Die app, I have determined that I am (a) a speedy
typer and (b) an awfully slow thinker.
I simply mean that as long as my goal was to get words—any
words—on the screen, then the “fear of not writing” was a fantastic motivator. Do
I want to hear crying babies, blaring car horns, or “Peanut Butter Jelly Time”?
No thank you.
There’s a lot to be said for focusing on quantity. Ten
minutes of madcap typing in the Write or Die app (much of it asides like “Oh
geez, that’s bad; obviously I will fix that later”), and I managed to work
through a plot problem in a story that has been nagging me – no lie – for 2
years.
However, I soon found
myself wanting to slow down and write a bit more thoughtfully. I wanted to be
picky and playful with language; I wanted to be accurate, deliberate, and
detailed. Turns out I can’t write in that way quickly enough for Dr. Wicked,
though, and let me tell you: it’s difficult to concentrate with “Never Gonna
Give You Up” blasting from your speakers every 15 seconds.
My take on Write or Die: fantastic for brainstorming, generating
ideas, and warming up those writing muscles. It might even be helpful for a
first draft if you’re battling writer’s block. But once you know what you want to say and are more
concerned with how you say it, you
might be ready to move to the word processor.
Nik’s Take
Unlike Kayla, my idea of “warming up” for writing is eating,
watching YouTube, or finding one more thing to clean with a Lysol wipe. I will
do ANYTHING to not write. And I find that the things I do write that I (and
sometimes other people) like are those things that I didn’t really care about.
Now let me explain: I care about my writing. Deeply.
But what I really need
more than to care about my writing is to NOT care. To further explain, let me
give an illustration:
So as you can see, where Kayla would prefer to avoid getting
her ears blasted by crying babies, car horns, and every possible song that should
never have been introduced to human culture, I WELCOME it. I need to be shoved
off a cliff to write consistently. And, well, if that’s the way it is, I’d
rather listen to “Never Gonna Give You Up” over and over again rather than, you
know, actually getting shoved off a cliff.
Editor's note: Other writing apps that aim to minimize distraction are Flowstate, Freedom, and WriteRoom. Let us know what you think of these apps. Do they work for you?
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Thanks for the info on this. Started working on a new book and somebody mentioned it to me today. Personally, have been using a pomodoro timer with good results, but always looking for something more. Would probably use something like Write or Die if it was built into the word processor I use, but am not sure about bringing another app into the writing process...
ReplyDeleteThat would be interesting to have a procrastination app built into the word processor, David. We've also heard good things about the pomodoro method. Good luck with your new book!
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