A Writer's Wandering Eye - Kill the Distractions!

 

Writer distractions — they are everywhere. 

Writers know this. Why, you ask? Because writers have a permanently piqued imagination. They can see wonder in everything; big or small, loud or mute, from the mundane to the extraordinary. I once wrote a flash fiction piece on a dust bunny!

So, how do you put horse blinders on a feral writer beast who needs to get shiny idea No.1 finished before hugging shiny idea No. 2?

Hm... *sipping a cold coffee... geez, I hate cold coffee!*

I believe the final solution to this problem sits just south of Noah's ark and north of the burial spot of Jimmy Hoffa. But I'm nothing if not energized about tackling the impossible... as I spread out my arms to stem today's Pacific tide...

Fun Fact No.1: Distractions won't catch a writer's eye if they enjoy what they're currently doing. And that enjoyment must stem from seeing the Big Picture in terms of their writing career, and dropping one's need for daily rewards along the way.

Fun Fact No.2: Past the honeymoon phase of one's current WIP... the distractions pop up and wink at you as your current WIP love demands high concentration and bucket loads of work. Picture a husband being pecked at by a whiny, demanding wife, and then spots a lithe, sexy waitress with a come-hither smile. That's a sickly sweet erotic romance book for another day, but maybe you get my point.

Fun Fact No. 3: You decided to enter into marriage with your current WIP. Remember when you first encountered that sweet new idea and you two romanced the heck out of that brand-new relationship? Well, buddy, divorce is not an option. And momentary affairs with other come-hither WIPs will only get you into incomplete WIP Hell, with alimony payments you can't afford.

What's a wee wordy weaver supposed to do???

1) First, make a list of all the places you've written where distractions ignited your wandering eye, then, strike them off your future writing locale list. Oftentimes, new writers fear being alone or lonely, so they purposely venture into distraction territory; coffee houses, cocktail lounges, their parents' backyard, all of which hold a plethora of distractions; overhearing a juicy conversation, amusingly watching a slurring drunk, or the umpteen tray of cookies your mom brought out to you in the backyard which came with a parent-kid conversation that just won't quit.

2) Second, accept that a writer must learn to be content with being alone with only their WIP for company, for specific stretches at a time — each writing session. New writers fear being alone and lonely more than anything else. This comes from being unsure that what they're doing — writing a book — will be a rewarding activity for them, as they still doubt their own aptitude in the métier.

Which brings us to,

3) Third, accept that with any difficult endeavor, much time, with little to no outside accolades, must be spent to raise one's skill level in the literary arts. Look at it as a new actor in Hollywood having to take umpteen lousy bit parts with zero accolades before a great role gets offered and rewards for their work follow. If I could have a nickle for every restaurant server cum hopeful Academy Award winner in Southern California....

And, finally,

4) Fourth, make a list of boring, hum-drum places where you can concentrate on your WIP, where you have done so in the past, and adopt those Go-To writing session locales. Accept that the sooner you get serious about learning this craft and focusing on getting that first draft finished, the sooner the edits will follow, and the book gets done. The longer you postpone, the longer you'll be stuck in Draft Hell, and the less maturity gained in your writing skill, which will continue to feed your doubts and birth further distractions. The time you waste worrying about not writing could be used to, say, oh, I dunno, actually write! Wow. Mind. Blown.

I write in a sitting room I fashioned out of the corner of my dining room, which holds a big picture window and an easy chair and side table. It faces into my secluded backyard, and I write alone with no TV or music or any noise whatsoever... until my writing session for the day is done. Then, I leave that work locale and live my life, knowing I showed up for work and got closer to achieving my writing dreams.

• Patience.
• Perseverance.
• A non-distracting Place.

Find yours, stay there, and make your WIP marriage last until your baby book is born. 

We writers are all in this together...

Writer Fatique - From Stress, Fear, or is it Real?

 

It happens to all writers...that all-encompassing exhaustion...

It can happen after an especially hectic work week, where severe focus was needed on deadline pieces.

Or it can sneak up on you when you least expect it.

But how can you tell if it's real or emotionally driven?

I will bleed out before I'll miss a deadline, so for me the constant war against body stress is real, and it will often mask as severe fatigue. It's my psyche's need to check out from reality for a while to lower the stress, which is not conducive to meeting the new deadlines before me.

I've also sensed a weariness if I'm facing a new book project, but I know there's a distinct possibility it's solely from Fear of the Unknown. You'd think after writing six books, I'd be past this mind game, but here's the kicker, my fellow furry scribes: a writer is never past this mind game. All an experienced writer can do is better judge the type and degree of exhaustion they are experiencing.

Here's what I do to gauge if it's Stress or Fear or Real:

When I'm about to close the laptop and take a nap because I think I can't plunk down another word, I set a 15-minute timer, and keep writing on anything for those 15 minutes. If after the timer goes off, and I'm in a writer flow, not wanting to quit, I know it was from the Fear of the Unknown, aka Writer Stage Fright, and I continue to write on.

If during those 15 minutes, every word typed, although each is a good choice, is like trudging through Flanders Field mud, then I know it's from Stress, of working too long under too many deadlines. The Solution: I'll take a short walk outside to reinvigorate my mind and body or take a cat nap to see if, afterwards, I'm refreshed enough to continue writing for the day. 90% of the time, that break will help, and I'll finish the work day.

If during those 15 minutes writing, my brain simply cannot come up with the right words like it normally would, then I know it's exhausted for real, and I need to wave the white flag for the day and rest, as an investment for a more productive tomorrow, and to ward off Burn Out, a very real writer disability that can take far longer from which to recover. A full time writer must avoid Burn Out at all costs.

There is a fourth option, too, and that can be hunger and/or thirst. And I do NOT mean the empty calorie snacks you slovenly gobble at your desk. 

To discover if your body is lacking nutrients, take the Two-Step Challenge:

First, try drinking a full glass of water, and after a short break, try again to write. If you feel more alert, your body was likely dehydrated. 

If the water didn't work, 

Second, ask yourself when you last ate a decent meal. 

Did you miss breakfast? Eating a decent amount of protein to rev up your day.

Did a writing session go overtime, and you forgot to eat lunch? 

Did you have a decent dinner last night? (And by decent, I mean fresh vegetables, a small portion of lean meat and maybe fresh fruit for dessert.) 

If food is the issue, after you break for a meal, your mind focus will reignite very quickly, or that's been my experience. The same with water, if you're dehydrated. 

Note: feeling hungry is often just a sign you're dehydrated, so instead of automatically ingesting calories, try first drinking water.

A full time writer has to gauge carefully the symptom of exhaustion and respond accordingly. If you do this, over time, you'll experience fewer bouts of debilitating fatigue, as you'll learn to recognize the symptom, quickly gauge its cause, and course-correct before it hinders your work day.

Writing is a psychological endeavor, yes, but it's also a very physical activity, too, even if your body is merely sitting down. It takes a lot of mind/body juice to work with words. If you don't heed the fatigue, and know how to treat it, that book you want to finish, no matter your skill, simply won't get done.

Messy Desk, Messy Mind...

 

Messy desk, messy mind?

Have you looked closely at your work area lately? 

Are papers and pens and clips and coffee cup stains piling up? 

 

Maybe your harried, stressed-out mood is due to your harried, stressed-out environment. No writer can clearly lay down good work in an area where elbows slide off mountains of paper or stick to coffee rings, and that recent donut gobbling foray you undertook last night.

 

Take a half hour - or maybe the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee - and clean up your office. 

Calm comes from calm seen and felt. 

Dig out, clean up, and wipe away that stress.

Sweat Out Writing Stress...

 

Sweat out the stress...

 

Stress is basically a whisper from your body that you need to move. Your mind is overloaded, and your limbs are saying, "That's enough, brain. Let me take over from here."

 

Many people ignore that cue, and you shouldn't. Oftentimes, what feels like issues that have no resolution will find answers once you physically tire yourself out.

 

I don't mean to say that the only way to work out is hitting some sort of sterile gym. Before such places ever existed, people did housework, worked in their yards, and played with their pets or family members, vacuuming, raking, running and playing, to achieve a calmer, more centered state of mind, and a better organized world to boot. Bonus!

 

This Friday, as the week's stressors have accumulated, I remind you all of this crucial aspect of writing that is so often ignored. If you're feeling overwhelmed today, X out that browser, put your computer to sleep, get up and get active. Your mind will work on its problems in the subconscious state as you consciously move those muscles, mopping a floor, raking a garden, or throwing a ball and having a laugh. 

 

Never see physical activity as a deterrent to writing. It's your partner in a successful career. 

 

Remember: You can't write on life if you don't live one, in a symbiotic way with the world around you, and in moderation, in all things. Without the physical along with the mental, your being and your writing will not thrive.

 

Now, get up, go out, and let's doo eet!