The Hocus Pocus of How to Focus
When I’m working on a novel, I need to write on it every single day, without fail, even if it’s only a few lines. But the important thing is for that story to stay in my head and simmer in my subconscious even when I’m not actively working on it. Of course, the ideal day involves no distractions, but life happens, so here are a few ideas to keep your focus or to regain your focus:
1. Start your writing day off right. Don’t skip a meal to ‘save time’ because all that does is make you lose your concentration when the hunger hits. Eat something nutritious (foods that are loaded with sugar/fats can make you drowsy) and then put a couple snacks within reach. I admit, my favorite snack is dark chocolate! Remember to stay hydrated too.
2. Don’t even pretend to do something else while you write. Social media is not your friend when you’re supposed to be writing. Close every tab, only get online if you need to know something urgently enough to leave your story for it. Otherwise, put a reminder in the narrative to grab that detail later and keep moving the story forward. I use *** to denote a place in the story that needs a detail or a fact check. It’s easy to hit “control F” and do a search for *** or a similar symbol. That way you don’t get pulled out of the story.
3. Eliminate as many distractions ahead of time as you can. Warn your friends and family that you will be at work and not taking calls. The phone is now only for emergencies. However, someone will forget and call and apologize and try to talk anyway. Now that you know that is inevitable, unless you are willing to completely cut yourself off from civilization, don’t get angry. Anger is not a good writing tool unless you are writing a letter to the editor about that lady that keeps bringing her poodle into your yard to doodle.
4. Sometimes a change of scene is essential. If your writing seems stale, go someplace else to write for a while. It doesn’t matter so much where; a library, your parked car, the inside of your shower, just anywhere. Seriously, I had a friend who tried sitting in her shower; she ended up writing a lovely poem about mold.
5. Figure out your ideal writing time. Get up an hour earlier if necessary. Take a nap and stay up late. When is your house the quietest? Or maybe you can write when it’s the busiest because you can sneak away. It is possible to train yourself to write anywhere. Diana Gabaldon said, “When you’re reading, you’re not where you are; you’re in the book. By the same token, I can write anywhere.”
6. Occasionally, it might take a little more to keep your focus. Many writers find prayer, meditation, running, and/or yoga to be a good way to find inner balance and inspiration. For me, it removes any anxiety that I might be feeling and replaces it with energy.
7. Reading something in the same genre that you are writing in can be very helpful. If I have a project that I’m not going to be able to work on for awhile, I carry a book in that genre with me and read bits of it when I have a moment.
8. Print out your manuscript, however much you have written. Read it when you’re away from the computer, make a few notes on it as ideas come to you. That way you have something to give the next time you get a chance to write. Hemingway said, “I had learned already never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.”
9. Outside noises can be a huge distraction. I have several Pandora stations that I rely on when writing and isolation headphones to block out the noises. I sometimes write in the middle of the night when noise should be at a minimum, but I still use my headphones even if I’m not listening to music because someone at my house snores, but he doesn’t want me to tell you about it.
10. Finally, a last word of advice from J. K. Rowling, “Be ruthless about protecting writing days…although writing has been my actual job for several years now, I still seem to have to fight for time in which to do it. Some people do not seem to grasp that I still have to sit down in peace and write the books, apparently believing that they pop up like mushrooms without my connivance.” So, when it’s hard to focus and you keep getting interrupted, just remember that you are waging the same battle as some of the world’s greatest writers!
1. Start your writing day off right. Don’t skip a meal to ‘save time’ because all that does is make you lose your concentration when the hunger hits. Eat something nutritious (foods that are loaded with sugar/fats can make you drowsy) and then put a couple snacks within reach. I admit, my favorite snack is dark chocolate! Remember to stay hydrated too.
2. Don’t even pretend to do something else while you write. Social media is not your friend when you’re supposed to be writing. Close every tab, only get online if you need to know something urgently enough to leave your story for it. Otherwise, put a reminder in the narrative to grab that detail later and keep moving the story forward. I use *** to denote a place in the story that needs a detail or a fact check. It’s easy to hit “control F” and do a search for *** or a similar symbol. That way you don’t get pulled out of the story.
3. Eliminate as many distractions ahead of time as you can. Warn your friends and family that you will be at work and not taking calls. The phone is now only for emergencies. However, someone will forget and call and apologize and try to talk anyway. Now that you know that is inevitable, unless you are willing to completely cut yourself off from civilization, don’t get angry. Anger is not a good writing tool unless you are writing a letter to the editor about that lady that keeps bringing her poodle into your yard to doodle.
4. Sometimes a change of scene is essential. If your writing seems stale, go someplace else to write for a while. It doesn’t matter so much where; a library, your parked car, the inside of your shower, just anywhere. Seriously, I had a friend who tried sitting in her shower; she ended up writing a lovely poem about mold.
5. Figure out your ideal writing time. Get up an hour earlier if necessary. Take a nap and stay up late. When is your house the quietest? Or maybe you can write when it’s the busiest because you can sneak away. It is possible to train yourself to write anywhere. Diana Gabaldon said, “When you’re reading, you’re not where you are; you’re in the book. By the same token, I can write anywhere.”
6. Occasionally, it might take a little more to keep your focus. Many writers find prayer, meditation, running, and/or yoga to be a good way to find inner balance and inspiration. For me, it removes any anxiety that I might be feeling and replaces it with energy.
7. Reading something in the same genre that you are writing in can be very helpful. If I have a project that I’m not going to be able to work on for awhile, I carry a book in that genre with me and read bits of it when I have a moment.
8. Print out your manuscript, however much you have written. Read it when you’re away from the computer, make a few notes on it as ideas come to you. That way you have something to give the next time you get a chance to write. Hemingway said, “I had learned already never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.”
9. Outside noises can be a huge distraction. I have several Pandora stations that I rely on when writing and isolation headphones to block out the noises. I sometimes write in the middle of the night when noise should be at a minimum, but I still use my headphones even if I’m not listening to music because someone at my house snores, but he doesn’t want me to tell you about it.
10. Finally, a last word of advice from J. K. Rowling, “Be ruthless about protecting writing days…although writing has been my actual job for several years now, I still seem to have to fight for time in which to do it. Some people do not seem to grasp that I still have to sit down in peace and write the books, apparently believing that they pop up like mushrooms without my connivance.” So, when it’s hard to focus and you keep getting interrupted, just remember that you are waging the same battle as some of the world’s greatest writers!
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