Stop Watching Bloody Television!

This post may strike you as obvious.  I thought it was obvious.  I thought it went without saying.

Apparently not.  Apparently, it does need to be said…and loudly.

I get a lot of emails from writers who are struggling to control their days and find time to write, and I’m always happy to try and help uncover the hidden pockets.  I’ve had a lot of practice at it, so I’m quicker than most at spotting how things can be rearranged to free up time.

Invariably the first one I see, and the one that causes the most resistance, is TV watching, and I honestly don’t get why the idea of ditching television watching causes such resentment and resistance.

Watching TV is the biggest time suck on the planet.  You’re told when to sit down and watch, when you can pee, when you can go to bed, and when you can blink.

Given the marginal quality of most TV programming these days, TV watching doesn’t do a goddam thing for anyone except waste time.  And don’t get me started on the ad breaks….

Too late.

If you’re stupid enough to actually watch live TV and then sit there through ad breaks, as well, there’s not much hope for you.  Especially if you’re not even picking up a pen and a notebook during the breaks.  Most commercial stations trim the show at the front and back of ad break sections to squeeze in more ads, further deteriorating an already adulterated experience.

Then you get station identifiers flying over the top and bottom of the screen during the show, and reminders of what show is coming up next, just in case you didn’t already know from the two dozen reminders during the ad breaks.

Cut the umbilical cord.  Stop watching live TV.  If you’ve got TiVo, start recording your absolute favourites, and ditch the rest.  You honestly can live without them.

As for your absolute favourites…are they really your absolute favourites, or do you just think they are?

Could you live with waiting for the season come out on DVD, and getting a nice clean uncut version in a pretty boxed set?

Sometimes it’s worth keeping up with a good television drama, for the sake of seeing how a writer handles conflict, or character development, or story arcs.  It’s good research.  And yes, I agree, sometimes you really do need to unwind and relax.  That’s why I’m suggesting that waiting for the season to come out on DVD is worth the wait.

I haven’t watched live TV for twenty years.  No, not even the news (you call that stuff news???)

If I hear about a new, good television drama or comedy series and keep hearing about it for three or four seasons, I’ll do some on-line research about it, and if I’m still intrigued, buy the first season.  If I’m hooked, I’ll keep buying as the new seasons are released on DVD, about six or eight months after they are finished airing on TV.    My family will watch an episode a night while we eat dinner, and sans ads, that’s about 43 minutes of solid, engrossing entertainment.    At the moment, we’re hooked on House (with a vengeance – I’ve published two Sherlock Holmes novels, and House has obvious connections).

I haven’t found the lack of live television in my life hampering in any way.  I don’t miss it for a second, and actually grow uncomfortable if I’m in a room when someone is watching it.  The trend towards mindless reality shows these days entrenches me even more firmly in the “no, thank you,” camp.

I just can’t sit still and watch it, knowing that I could be writing, instead.

First appeared on Anchored Authors in April/May, 2009

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Tracy Cooper-Posey © 2009. Cannot be copied or distributed without permission.