Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Pinterest. Email. The list goes on with "busy work" we often do on the computer that keeps us away from writing. If you need a distraction-free writing environment that will keep you focusing on your latest story, you should give FORCEdraft a try. FORCEdraft is a text editor that blocks everything on your computer while you write. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Here are some snapshots of the initial pages once you click into FORCEdraft. FYI, these are pictures from my phone because you can't do print screen while in FORCEdraft. They did say they block EVERYTHING. Take a deep breath, and dive in. On this page, you can title your document and choose the parameters for blocking the computer. The menacing white page. When you click on FORCEdraft at the top of the screen, you'll be alerted to whether you are done (and are able to save and exit), or you have more writing to do. My short, sweet opinion on ...

Unless you have the perfect writing schedule that allows you to spend only daylight hours in front of your computer screen, or you write longhand at night, the chances are your evening writing, research, or social networking sessions are affecting your sleeping patterns and therefore your health. Research suggests that limiting your exposure to blue-toned (daylight-like) lighting after sunset will reduce your risk of insomnia and other health issues caused by the disruption to your circadian rhythms . Luckily there is a solution in the form of software that can alter your computer’s range of lighting tones from short wavelength (blue-ish) to longer wavelength (red-ish) so that your screen is more in line with the lighting after sunset. I’ve been trying free software called F.lux , which I’m very happy with. It’s a small program that downloads quickly and, when run, calculates your location and time since sunset, and alters the tones of the screen accordingly (although it hasn’t p...