Practice Corner - Finding Focus

[witchyemerald.livejournal.com]

Now that we are three weeks into Nanowrimo you may find your focus is failing you. Or you can be like me and your focus shorter and more spotty than a Pokemon villains evil plan of the week. Either way, the shiny can stop a story in it tracks. Or at least take you a week to write something that in any other day could take hours.

So here are some tips in getting it done.

1- Setting a goal.

First you need to make it realistic. Don’t pick a goal out of your capability. You might want to get 10k worth of words in over a 24 hour period of time, but if you have your six year old nieces birthday party to go to, and you need to do laundry, because you are on your last pair of clean underwear, you’re not going to make it. Pick goals that are achievable.

2- Think small.

Really small. Pick 20 mins to write up to "X" point or "X" amount of words on paper/screen. The point is to get things done and if the project is too big, you can find yourself wander. At least I do. So break your big goal up. 120 words here, 300 there. Before you know it, bamn, story done.

3 - Set up a time.

Do set times to write. Maybe an hour before your favorite show. Or instead of that eh show you find yourself watching and dont know why.

4- Give yourself a break

Yes you should walk away from your writing and move. In fact it’s better for you. Your back ache might be because your tush was in a chair for the last four hours. Plus remember last weeks writers block topic. Moving helps blood flow and brain power. :)


5- Switch it up, make writing be the break of something else.

Just put the cake in the over and have to wait 15 minutes? Hello thats like 200 words! Cleaning and need a break? Well looky here, I left Google docs open and I can pop over here and give my feet a break.

I use this when I am having a move, move, move day. Does a lot accomplished? You would be surprised how much I get done, when I side along writing with other projects.

6- Turn off the noise

That is both sound AND visual. Tumblr, Youtube, Twitter. LiveJournal and even chat rooms are not your friend. Not when you are scrolling through them and losing ample amounts of time. Shut them down. Use them as a reward. But if you find yourself watching the reruns, instead of listening to them, it’s time to shut down Netflixs.

7- Writing Buddy

Yes, Yes I used this term before. But having a person to check in with can help so much. Use the writing war/race system here. Go on to the chat room and check in. Do a post on your journal.

I tell my friends, if you don’t get a word count from me. I am off on youtube.

8- Understand your self.

To me this is the most important. Some will say just tell yourself to get it done. Well good for you if you are that type of person. I am not. Oh I get tons of stuff done, but telling myself to just do it. Nope. Eyes glaze over and I walk off. I know why I do it. I get bored, like really fast. And I understand that. I find things to un-bore me.

Why is it important? So I don’t then get frustrated. So the project I am working on get done. And maybe six other things along the way.

What helps you with focus?