Keeping Focused in Writing

I have a grandson who has a hard time remaining focused. You ask him to clean his room, he is busy playing a video game. Ask him to do his math homework, and he's reading a book. Try to get him to help with dishes, and, no surprise, he's using the bathroom.



We had just such a morning. It took four of us, including him, to get his Valentine's for school started and finished, his socks on, his backpack found, and his homework finished - he actually left without finishing the last piece.

Sometimes it's just easier to do what comes naturally, in other words, to do the stuff you want to do. It's easier to go out to lunch with a friend, spend the evening watching old movies. It's even easier to clean the house sometimes than to write.

Your writing may get shelved for a day or two, maybe even for a week, as you trod along, doing what comes naturally.

Oftentimes, I lose my focus on writing because my 'to do' list is too long, or I'm too stressed or too tired to think about writing. And this hurts me.

When I wake up, and I do wake up, or you wouldn't be seeing this post, I realize that my list could be shorter, that I don't have to do everything in one day, that if I'm stressed or tired, writing something will take my mind off my stress and writing will take my mind off sleeping.

Writing does more than keep me awake. It takes me to another world, another place, where I can focus in on a life that matters. And because my life matters too, it's only natural that I'd want to write, and write focused every day.

Here's to your writing!

Kathryn

Energy in Writing

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Do you ever want to you know - quit?

I know I do, but that's usually because I'm doing too much in the first place.

Energy, or the lack of it, usually occurs because you're not paying attention.

The other day my grandson forgot to eat breakfast. He was too busy playing I guess.

I can truly relate. When I'm busy writing, I also forget to eat. But this isn't the best answer to keep the energy up. And if you're like me you know that the energy must be in place in order to accomplish your desires.

Energy in writing is sort of like getting a boost, or being plugged in (I like being plugged in better). A boost is short lived, kind of like those caffeine drinks, being plugged in is like being a lamp hooked up to an outlet.

The energy keeps coming as long as you keep plugged in.



In order to maintain energy in writing I have learned I must do one or more of the following things:

1. Eat breakfast
2. Place a healthy snack at my desk so that I can see it
3. Take breaks when my eyes are tired
4. Balance writing and marketing
5. Seek for opportunities to get away
6. Help others

You may find that you have an entirely different list when it comes to keeping the energy level up, but the most important thing is that you know what will keep you going.

And that you do it.

Conquering Your Goliaths

Isn't it amazing how easy it is to lose our focus because we're busy doing something else?

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Just yesterday I taught a class on Conquering Your Goliaths. The main concern of my class was that it was so easy to get distracted. Not a group of writers, they yet found that their lives could be easily swayed by the immediate task at hand rather than what was truly important.

And, again, we all do that.

One of the things I do to curb my wandering is to make a list in the morning of those things I'd like to accomplish. I cross the items off when they're finished, and if something isn't done, I add it to the list for the next day. Another thing I do is calendar everything. I need to know when my author and character interviews are, when I'm heading to the next conference, when the doctor's appointment is, etc. And no, I haven't yet converted my thoughts to my cellphone calendar.

I suppose I'm old school.

But having said that, I think that the most important thing about writing things down is the ease for which you remember. That is, if you remember to look at your calendar.

One of my daughter's doesn't. She's tried writing things down once, only to find that she didn't look at the calendar again. So maybe something else is needed for her.

All I know that in order to conquering many of my goliaths, I need to know the direction I am moving. I need to see clearly on paper what it is that's important to me for that day, not neglecting those things of highest importance that probably have nothing to do with cleaning my house.

Things like:
Time with husband, children and grandchildren
Time to read and meditate
Time to reach out to a friend

Conquering any goliath is not an easy feat. Consider David. He was small, young and inexperienced in the ways of the world. But he knew God and listened to him.

And that's really the first stepping stone.