Focus on Writing

How’s that focus on writing coming? And how’s that working for you?

Here’s the deal. You’ve suddenly got time to write. It didn’t come exactly how you envisioned. You didn’t win the lottery. No one announced that they would fund your endeavors because the world needed your talent. Nope. You simply got a cease-and-desist notice related to life as you know it.

Who could have imagined that a tiny virus would stop the world and compel so many people to stay at home instead of going to work?

But there it is. A lot of us suddenly have more time than we ever imagined possible. And while it’s not easy to resist the temptation to either sink into the morass of 24/7 coronavirus news updates or dive into the escape valve of the day, we need to take advantage of what is truly (and hopefully) a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

In short, if you’ve always wanted to write, then get over yourself, focus on writing and do it. Just one small problem. How do you get over yourself, get your head in the game and focus on writing?

Since we’re all different, there’s no one way to make that happen. So you’ll just have to try out the suggestions below and figure out which best helps you focus on writing. Along the way, I’m sure you’ll come up with your own tips and tricks to help you focus on writing. Please share. In the meantime, I hope some of mine will get you started:

• Carve out your writing space, even if that’s the corner of your couch or the dining room table. Then cue yourself to focus on writing by establishing a writing routine that could include anything from a lovely coffee or tea to a certain kind of music.

• Block out time in your calendar and honor that. If the ability to focus on writing seems positively elusive during that session, jump into what I call supportive work: research your topic or the setting of your book, write notes about the people or characters who populate your work, write a little–or a lot of–sloppy copy about the project in general or one aspect in specific.

• Engage in what I call active reading. Instead of losing yourself in a book, choose one that will help you with your topic or your writing, and study it. Mark passages with Post-Its. Take notes. Rediscover your inner student.

• Write a Sloppy Letter to Linden (or to anyone else including yourself) about your project. The rules of the Sloppy Letter are simple. You can’t worry about spelling, grammar, logic, continuity or anything else. This is just a written brain dump, so dump away, the faster the better. And when your inner critic starts squawking, a reminder that the letter is supposed to be sloppy should take care of that problem.

• If you still can’t wrap your mind around your creative endeavor, take a walk–a real one if you can, a virtual one if you can’t. Whether your strolling in green space, thumbing through a picture book or clicking on landscape photos while online, opt for pleasing nature. That’s the key when it comes to resetting your brain and amping up your creativity.

• Assuming you can leave the house, you can even use that walk as a way to spark ideas. My dad always took a tape recorder with him during his constitutionals around the neighborhood, so he could dictate ideas as they hit. One of my writing coach clients who lives in San Diego figures out his novel morning by morning during his walks on the beach.
• Find a writing buddy or a writing coach to keep you accountable, give you someone with whom to share your ideas, and to help make writing enjoyable rather than intimidating.

Whatever you do and however you focus on writing, don’t let fear get in the way. An etched metal bar on my desk reads: What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

I know my answer. What’s yours?