I know something that people complain about a lot is finding themselves distracted while trying to write. Being ADD myself I often find that I am distracted by other things when it comes time for me to sit down and write. Whether it be the internet, people, pets, hunger or other miscellaneous things it gets rather annoying and sometimes may build up so much that we might even find ourselves procrastinating. Some of these are going to be obvious I will admit, but we sometimes miss the obvious. Thus I am writing this blog post in hopes that someone, someday, might find even one of these useful.
Do not start writing on an empty stomach;
I don't know about you guys but when I get hungry I have a bad habit of wandering off in search of food sometimes never going back to what I started. Thus I try to schedule my writing periods right after I eat or sit down and write while I'm cooking. If you are the type that gets drawn into your stories for the sake of your food do not write while cooking. Keeping snacks on hand can also help fight this but make sure it isn't something greasy or you are going to be distracted by the feel of it on your hands and/or what it's going to do to your writing implement. Keeping water at hand wouldn't hurt either. Unless you spill or have cats that love to knock things over. Then it might hurt...
Shut off the Internet;
The internet is defiantly the biggest time eater when one is trying to write. You want to spend a few moments checking your e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, maybe even Reddit only to find those few moments turn into hours and you've lost your time for writing. The simplest solution is to just shut off your internet whether it's disconnecting the Wi-Fi router, unplugging the ethernet cable, shutting down Wi-Fi capability on your device, or shutting your smartphone off and placing it outside of your reach. This approach requires that you have your research done ahead of time or trusting yourself enough turn the internet back on to just do the research. You may even be able to take advantage of child block or apps designed to deal with this issue.
Set Writing Goals;
Sometimes you find no matter what type of tip, trick or "hack" you use you just can't write. If you find yourself in this position just set goals for yourself. Write for five minutes non-stop than do something for maybe ten minutes then back to writing for five. Instead of time, you can set a certain amount of words goal. Write one hundred words? Great go do something else. Do not be afraid to reward yourself, but just make sure the reward is equal to the writing you did or you may find yourself with more rewards than words. (There is an app/website called Habitica that you can create your own Habits, Dallies and To-do's that upon completion your character will gain experience points and coins. There are a few types of apps like this out there so you can find one that suits you.)
Warn those around you about writing;
Whether you're married, have kids, live with roommates, have a lover, live with your parents, or whatever warning people ahead of time that you are about to write may help stop them from bugging you. I know my family has the bad habit of actually bugging me more once I am writing so this isn't going to work for everyone. Setting time aside to interact with whoever you're living with might help as well. If not consider finding someplace else besides home to write. I love to head off to the library when my family starts interrupting me too much. Just be sure if you decided to park yourself in a Coffee shop or a restaurant that they won't get upset it you hang around for awhile.
Find someone who will hold you accountable;
Sometimes we find that we do better if we have someone to make sure we are staying on track. Find someone in your life who will help keep you on track whether they are a writer themselves or not. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a good place to look as their forms are open outside of November. A lot of social sites and even some MMORPG's will also have places for writers to talk to one another. Just keep an eye out and find someone that suits you. Just remember to help keep your writing buddy on task as well!
Find some music;
I do better writing when I have some music playing in the background. Of course, some people may find this distracting so if you are one of those types skip this one. Music is also good for drowning out the noise around you. Have noisy roommates? Play music. Writing in a public place? Play music. Just be sure to have headphones. As an added bonus get some noise canceling ones. Personally, I don't like ear canceling ones but that may be because the only ones I can afford are earbuds and I hate having them in my ear.
Feed, Water, Walk and/or Play with Pets ahead of time;
This can help keep your pets from annoying you while you are trying to write. It won't work for all pets and you may find taking a few minutes to give them attention while you are writing may also help. Sometimes my dog just has to have my attention for whatever reason and sometimes she is fine just ignoring me. My cat just ignores me unless I am hand writing then I have to give her something to lay on besides the papers I'm writing on.
Do not think of it as a chore;
Try to remember to keep writing fun. If you start thinking of it as a chore you are probably going to find yourself writing less and less. I can always tell when I am burning out on it or over thinking that I just have to write when I start writing less often. Sometimes it goes so bad that I have to stop what I am working on and change to something else. If it gets really bad I can't even stand to open the word document. If you find this happening it may be more fruitful to take a few days break then try again later least you burn yourself out completely.
There are all sorts of things you can try to help you focus on your writing and those listed above are just a few. Sometimes I find it easier to write as I said with music. Whether it's Pandora Radio, Iheart Radio (The computer I'm on now can't do Pandora plus the Xbox doesn't shut off as quickly when it's on compared to Pandora), or Youtube Playlists. There are times when I'm writing that if the songs have words in it, it's more distracting when they don't. Other times it might be easier if I'm watching a Youtube Video from Markiplier or Captain Sparklez. Then if I'm really bad sitting in the quiet library might be the only way I can write. As I said above sometimes I just have to give in and back away from writing for a bit. Sometimes I just don't feel like writing and that may be because I feel bad so reading and recharging my creative batteries just might do me better. It differs from person to person as to will and won't affect you as well as what will and won't work for you. The key is to figure it out.
Do not start writing on an empty stomach;
I don't know about you guys but when I get hungry I have a bad habit of wandering off in search of food sometimes never going back to what I started. Thus I try to schedule my writing periods right after I eat or sit down and write while I'm cooking. If you are the type that gets drawn into your stories for the sake of your food do not write while cooking. Keeping snacks on hand can also help fight this but make sure it isn't something greasy or you are going to be distracted by the feel of it on your hands and/or what it's going to do to your writing implement. Keeping water at hand wouldn't hurt either. Unless you spill or have cats that love to knock things over. Then it might hurt...
Shut off the Internet;
The internet is defiantly the biggest time eater when one is trying to write. You want to spend a few moments checking your e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, maybe even Reddit only to find those few moments turn into hours and you've lost your time for writing. The simplest solution is to just shut off your internet whether it's disconnecting the Wi-Fi router, unplugging the ethernet cable, shutting down Wi-Fi capability on your device, or shutting your smartphone off and placing it outside of your reach. This approach requires that you have your research done ahead of time or trusting yourself enough turn the internet back on to just do the research. You may even be able to take advantage of child block or apps designed to deal with this issue.
Set Writing Goals;
Sometimes you find no matter what type of tip, trick or "hack" you use you just can't write. If you find yourself in this position just set goals for yourself. Write for five minutes non-stop than do something for maybe ten minutes then back to writing for five. Instead of time, you can set a certain amount of words goal. Write one hundred words? Great go do something else. Do not be afraid to reward yourself, but just make sure the reward is equal to the writing you did or you may find yourself with more rewards than words. (There is an app/website called Habitica that you can create your own Habits, Dallies and To-do's that upon completion your character will gain experience points and coins. There are a few types of apps like this out there so you can find one that suits you.)
Warn those around you about writing;
Whether you're married, have kids, live with roommates, have a lover, live with your parents, or whatever warning people ahead of time that you are about to write may help stop them from bugging you. I know my family has the bad habit of actually bugging me more once I am writing so this isn't going to work for everyone. Setting time aside to interact with whoever you're living with might help as well. If not consider finding someplace else besides home to write. I love to head off to the library when my family starts interrupting me too much. Just be sure if you decided to park yourself in a Coffee shop or a restaurant that they won't get upset it you hang around for awhile.
Find someone who will hold you accountable;
Sometimes we find that we do better if we have someone to make sure we are staying on track. Find someone in your life who will help keep you on track whether they are a writer themselves or not. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a good place to look as their forms are open outside of November. A lot of social sites and even some MMORPG's will also have places for writers to talk to one another. Just keep an eye out and find someone that suits you. Just remember to help keep your writing buddy on task as well!
Find some music;
I do better writing when I have some music playing in the background. Of course, some people may find this distracting so if you are one of those types skip this one. Music is also good for drowning out the noise around you. Have noisy roommates? Play music. Writing in a public place? Play music. Just be sure to have headphones. As an added bonus get some noise canceling ones. Personally, I don't like ear canceling ones but that may be because the only ones I can afford are earbuds and I hate having them in my ear.
Feed, Water, Walk and/or Play with Pets ahead of time;
This can help keep your pets from annoying you while you are trying to write. It won't work for all pets and you may find taking a few minutes to give them attention while you are writing may also help. Sometimes my dog just has to have my attention for whatever reason and sometimes she is fine just ignoring me. My cat just ignores me unless I am hand writing then I have to give her something to lay on besides the papers I'm writing on.
Do not think of it as a chore;
Try to remember to keep writing fun. If you start thinking of it as a chore you are probably going to find yourself writing less and less. I can always tell when I am burning out on it or over thinking that I just have to write when I start writing less often. Sometimes it goes so bad that I have to stop what I am working on and change to something else. If it gets really bad I can't even stand to open the word document. If you find this happening it may be more fruitful to take a few days break then try again later least you burn yourself out completely.
There are all sorts of things you can try to help you focus on your writing and those listed above are just a few. Sometimes I find it easier to write as I said with music. Whether it's Pandora Radio, Iheart Radio (The computer I'm on now can't do Pandora plus the Xbox doesn't shut off as quickly when it's on compared to Pandora), or Youtube Playlists. There are times when I'm writing that if the songs have words in it, it's more distracting when they don't. Other times it might be easier if I'm watching a Youtube Video from Markiplier or Captain Sparklez. Then if I'm really bad sitting in the quiet library might be the only way I can write. As I said above sometimes I just have to give in and back away from writing for a bit. Sometimes I just don't feel like writing and that may be because I feel bad so reading and recharging my creative batteries just might do me better. It differs from person to person as to will and won't affect you as well as what will and won't work for you. The key is to figure it out.
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