Digression and Distraction

or--maybe--indecisively--“Dithering Part II”

Photo by Dan Barrett on Unsplash

We’ve had comments here on the Unschool about digressions, with a number of us recognizing how digressions really aren’t distractions; they are a significant component of the writing process. They take time that many of us are reluctant to give. I know that my own list of writing tasks and goals is long at the outset of each day and week. I meet some and miss others as I work on. Sometimes, I don’t want to stop for digressions and distractions. But toward the end of this post, I’ll share some concrete ways to go about this.

Yesterday, on the road after leaving the surprising and mysterious beauty of Death Valley, we drove into Las Vegas. And was quite pleased to drive on—quickly—and find the State park “Valley of Fire.” Incredibly red rock. And a bit off-the-path of expectation—you could say a digression. We ended up paying the park fee to drive through to a camp-site; the price of admission was worth every penny.