Methods to help you focus while writing

JTstories said:

I've written hundreds of pages (of different stories and false starts), but the task is so grueling because of the numerous stop/starts I have in a single session. I often feel like I'm getting no good work done because I can't concentrate enough on the story to flesh it out without an excessive numer of revisions.

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Try this to help you get past all the false starts and unfished work, it might not work for you, but it's worth a try . . .

. . . Think of an idea for a short story. Keep it simple, one protagonist in a simple situation, one antagonist, few if any secondary characters. Like I said make it a simple story that can be resolved in a few scenes, somewhere around the 1,500 -3,000 words mark.

Commit to this story, commit to finishing it no matter what!

After all it's only a very short and simple story. If you only manage hundred word bursts, don't worry, if you think it stinks, don't worry. In fact give yourself permission to write rubbish, to not care about this story, it's just one of many you are going to write. It doesn't matter. It is after all only a 1st draft. What is important is that you write, and finish what you start . . .


. . . that might work. If you're at a dead end and have a lot of false starts commiting to one project and getting it finsihed is good form and a real morale booster.

As to the general lack of focus in some respects writing can be like fitness, you need to build up muscles and endurance over time. You might only be able to concetrate long enough to write a hundred words, or a few hundred at time now, but if you keep at it (keeping at it really is half the battle with writing) you should be able to gradually build on that.

To improve focus a regular writing time might help, but like everything else this is down to the indivudual writer. Some writers thrive on routine, some hate it. However, if you can write regularly/daily, whatever, record your dailly average in week one and then use that as a target to shoot at aiming to write more each week.

The other thing is to just work with the lack of focus, write until you lose focus, then go do something else for ten or twenty mins then come back and write some more and keep doing that.

Anyway, hope that helps.

Try committing to a specific block of time like an hour. Then set the kitchen timer and don't do anything else except write until the timer goes off.

Get up an hour earlier than normal and write 350 words before you do anything else. Force yourself...it's not that many words!

Do this every day for 10 days. Look at what you've got!

Repeat daily for the rest of your life.

i think it's not only games and internet - recently there's so many distracting things in life that sometimes it's really hard to focus on writing.

i prefer to write at night, when everything around is calm an quiet. with no light and earphones with suitable music that helps me to stay in proper mood. try that.

try to get involved to the story you write too. think about characters, try to feel them, get a closer relationship with the plot. try to get on that level, when the story is starting speaking for itself.
i think another way is to try to put things that distract you into the story, write about it and - in that way - get rid of them.
you may also try to do something different. when you feel you want to write - don't. stay away from writing as long as it's possible. then write. make it a special moment, don't just sit. have a tea/drink/pipe.

Totally agree. There are too many interesting things in the world, but I had to solve this problem when I was at university when exams came around.

My working week is 72 hours when you figure in my on-call time, There are many times when the last thing i want to do is sit and write.

For me, I can't work in a quiet space but i'm easily distracted in a noisy one. my compromise is to work in front of the tv but I have a small stock of dvds that I know backwards. Some are music, some are easy going films (like "Back to the future") I work in front of these. I can ignore them for long periods of time and allow myself to watch the really good bits as a short break. i can also work in front of a football match.

Alternatively I can work to blues music, but not to any track that I'm tempted to sing along (badly) to. Some music fades into the background better than others, and blues has a calming effect for me.

My second trick is to have an end time and something I love to do when i stop. At the moment that's around 10.30 and I wind down with an episode of The Wire. I couldn't work in front of that if my life depended on it.

Craig

My psychology teacher is of the opinion that this problem is TV's fault. Our brains have been trained to around 10-15 minute intervals by the constant 'show, comercial, show, commmerical' routine for hours on end. We also tend to switch channels cause few people are interested in commercials, so that's another kind of shift in focus on a pretty average basis.
I've pretty much stopped watching TV recently, but I still have to overcome the distraction gaming and the Internet have to offer, I agree, it's hard. >.<

i've resigned from tv. i use internet to geet information and if i want to watch a film, i watch it on dvd. tv really isn't necessary.
but i need internet to write. often i use google to check things that i'm not sure, to feel the story.

NickP said:

Get up an hour earlier than normal and write 350 words before you do anything else. Force yourself...it's not that many words!

Do this every day for 10 days. Look at what you've got!

Repeat daily for the rest of your life.

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Ack. Completely disagree. Me, get up an hour earlier? Never. Gonna. Happen. I don't get enough sleep as it is.

Not everyone's a morning person. I'm certainly not. I'm no use to man nor beat 'til early afternoon at the soonest.

I say stay up later in the evening and get more done then. Works for me anyway.

(Not that it would take me an hour to write 350 words. More like ten minutes. But there's no way I'm shifting from my bed any time before 8am at the earliest).

If you have a laptop, I find that taking it to the library or even a different part of the house can help. Sometimes I just need a change of scenery from the desk that I do all my goofing off at.

scarletpeaches said:

Ack. Completely disagree. Me, get up an hour earlier? Never. Gonna. Happen. I don't get enough sleep as it is.

Not everyone's a morning person. I'm certainly not. I'm no use to man nor beat 'til early afternoon at the soonest.

I say stay up later in the evening and get more done then. Works for me anyway.

(Not that it would take me an hour to write 350 words. More like ten minutes. But there's no way I'm shifting from my bed any time before 8am at the earliest).

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I am not a morning person either.

I don't know what to suggest. Different things work for different people. I am not easily distracted at all. I can have music blasting, TV going, people talking...and I can keep reading or writing, depending on which I'm doing.

Maybe some instrumental music in the background?

No music?

Maybe even though you're not a morning person, you could start writing first thing before your mind gets busy?

JTstories said:

I am starting to suspect that thirty years of video games and over fifteen years of almost daily Internet use have damaged my brain. When I sit down to write I find my self to be very easily distracted. Every ten minutes I'll want to go check the news or read a forum to see if there are any new messages.

I've tried writing on a computer without an internet connection, but I end up flipping on the TV or the Wii. Sometimes I just feel like I can't get into my own story because I have so many other things going through my head at the same time.

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I can't write at my computer at home. It is just too distracting. I take a pen and paper and go sit at a restaurant or coffee house or library. That is where I do my creative work. Somewhere away from home. Then, I can come back and sit in front of the computer to enter it in and do corrections. For me there are way too many things that call my attention away from writing at home. Including checking the AW forums.

JTstories said:

I've written hundreds of pages (of different stories and false starts), but the task is so grueling because of the numerous stop/starts I have in a single session. I often feel like I'm getting no good work done because I can't concentrate enough on the story to flesh it out without an excessive numer of revisions.

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Have you ever tried meditation or creative visualization? It helps train your mind to focus. However, if you have A.D.D. you might have a tough go with either of those tools. My husband was diagnosed with hyperactivity as a kid. You know what the drs treated it with back then? Coffee. He has been drinking copious amounts ever since and it does help him focus. He has to have something going on in the background, i.e. tv or music, to focus. Without that he never gets anywhere. You might want to check with your dr and see if you can be tested for it. Also, if you are overly tired and your brain is not getting enough oxygen because of untreated sleep apnea it will make life very difficult. It is also potentially deadly. I recommend a visit to your dr to be sure.

It may help to sit down and write out everything that is going on in your brain. Just make a list. There may actually be story ideas in there that are fighting to get out and you are mistaking what is happening for being distracted. At the very least, once it is out on paper it will have less hold on your thougths. That has been my experience.

I am the editing queen. I write, I take it home, I edit it as it is going in the computer, I print out a hard copy and then I edit that. Etc., etc., etc. It is amazing I have managed to get as far in my book as I have. lol! I was gobsmacked when I put the opening of my book in SYW because I caught myself editing it while I was getting ready to post it. It never ends. I think it is a tad of perfectionism. Just keep writing. You will eventually have more words down and nothing left to edit until someone else reads your work to show you what you have missed.

Good luck. It is very hard when distractions make writing so difficult.

Alpha Echo said:

...Maybe some instrumental music in the background?

No music?

Maybe even though you're not a morning person, you could start writing first thing before your mind gets busy?

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First thing = my mind is on strike.

When it comes to writing and sticking to it, I think you just have to giv eyour hands muscle memory. Pick up the pen or the laptop or the Neo...whatever...and just write. It's all very well talking about getting into the habit of writing but habits don't just spring themselves on us. They have to be formed, and by our own behaviour.

I think this issue is something that affects most people at some point in their life (with me it's not the television as I'm not much of a tellybox watcher but there are other things like the internet and MSN) and the responsibility for correcting it lies solely with us.

Maybe writing with someone else in the room would help. Get them to nag you whenever you stop. "WHY DID YOU PUT THAT PEN DOWN? I DON'T HEAR NO KEYBOARD TAPPING! GERRONWI' GERRIN' IT WRIT!!!" etc.

My first question is, do you have this problem with other activities? Or, is it just writing? If you are having trouble concentrating on other activities at work, etc. you may have ADD.
If it's just writing, then try what the others have suggested. Or, write an outline of a scene, set a goal to finish the scene and don't stop writing until you've accomplished the goal.

You know, when I was a full time artist, I had the exact same problem as you JT. And then I got a "real" job, where I had to focus on what I was doing for long periods of time, or else. That has improved my focus a lot; I've learned to buckle down and git 'er done. When I come home from work, I can now paint or write for long periods of time without distraction. In fact, I'm probably no less of a prolific artist than I was when it was my full time job.

So you may just have a discipline problem. Work like a boss will stop by and check things out every 10 minutes.

P.S. Also I get up at 5 every morning to write before work. I go downstairs, get a cup of coffee, and then come back and start writing for an hour or so. There is something magical about that early hour of the day, moments after I have been dreaming. It's as if my mind is at its peak for writing at this time, even if I'm barely awake. And the world around me is so dark and quiet. I've heard a lot of other writers do their best at dawn as well.

I have no idea how to stay focused. But I will tell you that TV is the worst kind of distraction. When Comcast turned me off it was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I've read ten books, absorbed the better part of thirty more, and written two since that day a little over a year ago.

I believe in coffee shops. Any time I find that I'm easily distract or can't focus, it works to go to a different location. I don't take a computer, just a notebook and pen, and I go to a quiet, out of the way coffee place with good chairs and tables. Usually I can get a good hour's work in under those conditions.

Redzilla said:

I believe in coffee shops. Any time I find that I'm easily distract or can't focus, it works to go to a different location. I don't take a computer, just a notebook and pen, and I go to a quiet, out of the way coffee place with good chairs and tables. Usually I can get a good hour's work in under those conditions.

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I think being in a shop surrounded by muffins would be about the worst place I could try to work.

Craig

I find I tend to be a bit more focused in a tea shop that I recently found. Not only do they have some really neat teas, they have some really comfortable chairs. Unfortunately, I don't have a laptop yet so I can't actually write there just yet. (Saving up for it, though.) But I've printed out what I have of my story so far and I've been editing/fleshing it out there. (Also been doing my reading there as well. Got some great plot ideas while I was at it.)

But when I'm home, I tend to want to sit back and crochet since I have several projects in the works. That helps me unwind from work. By the time I unwind enough to put aside the crochet, I'm no longer interested in writing.

I have ADHD. It can be an impossible task to stay in the chair.
Keep the TV off. I am a movie worshiping slob so this alone is a challenge.

Keep several books handy. Not just one. I just put the bookcase within arm's reach of the desk.

It is easier to focus feeling and emotion than it is to concentrate on specific thoughts so this is a good internal gauge of writing.

If you can't stay on it, you're probably boring yourself. Find out why. If it feels like homework, write something that doesn't. Have fun. Write for amusement, if only for ten minutes to half an hour.
Get used to staying in the chair.

If you're stuck, open a blank page and just start typing. It doesn't matter what comes out, could be gibberish, could be random keys, doesn't matter, type until coherent thoughts show up on the page. Sometimes your brain just has to be teased into doing it and you'll find it gets cluttered up with the flotsam and jetsam of daily living. I don't dare watch TV with commercials. It's all trash and useless clutter that serves no purpose but to take up space in the landfill of the brain. Avoid it at all costs.

Treat yourself. Music, movies, whatever only after you've completed a daily writing goal.
Make your writing interesting and challenging--TO YOU--don't worry about anyone else. Set your own rules, your own goals and challenge yourself daily.
Do not let it become a grind or work, if it is you'll get bored and walk away.
It has to be passionate and interesting--TO YOU!

I don't have ADHD but I also have an attention problem. Here's what I usually do:

- I can't write at home because of all the distraction: food, drink, video games, TV, Internet, bed, etc. etc. So I go to coffee shops or restaurant. I also need that extra vibes foot traffic creates, but without actual distraction (such as coworkers or family members talking to you, etc.) It also takes you out of your comfort zone (home) and into some kind of work environment. I also prefer a place with food and drinks, but I have to BUY them so I don't have to go hungry or thirsty but I won't be distracted by my constant munching. The "setting" is very important to me when I write.

- I'd try to turn off all distractions: Internet, wifi, phone, etc. It's not easy to do, and sometimes I do need the Internet, for example, to do research, but it's a big distractor. So I'd turn that off and just keep my iPhone on. Yes, the iPhone can be a distraction, too (email, [slow] Internet, Facebook, etc.) but it's slower and harder to use so it keeps me from using it all the time.

- Invest in some noise-cancelation headphones. They're great to keep me focused.

- Turn on background music but not just any music. I don't use songs because I end up listening to the melodies or lyrics and singing to them or something. Instead, I choose one single piece of music, based on the scenes I am going to write. If it's an action scene it will be something louder, uptempo, exciting, etc. and if it's a quiet, emotional scene, etc. I'd use a movie soundtrack or something more orchestral. But usually just music, and on repeat. When the piece plays again and again and again and again, it becomes kind of hypnotic and helps me focused on the writing.

- It's also good to set a deadline, and not arbitrary ones like "I'd like to write 2000 words today." But real deadlines, like "my beta needs to have this by tomorrow so they can crit it" or "my editor must have it" -- something like that. It helps put some pressure on myself.


Anyway, these are my tricks. You may have to find yours because you know who you are and how you work (or get distracted). The idea is to set up an environment so that it's not as easy to get distracted (if it must be a dark room with only four walls and a typewriter, so be it), and cut out any distractions as much as possible but still keep yourself comfortable and nourished so that it doesn't become torture. To me, writing is a pleasant experience -- I just don't want it to be TOO pleasant that I end up doing something else.

Referencing another post I made about stealing, I stole this idea from somewhere (might've been John Dufresne's book, anyways--):

Try writing whatever is on your mind, free write, don't stop to word it out or think about it. Write a couple pages of this.

Whatever you wrote, says Dufresne (who I think quoted someone else, but I'm going to pretend it came from his book), was likely to distract you from your writing during the day.

I've never tried this exhaust-your-mokey-brain approach, but it could work.

I have the exact same problem as you, EXCEPT, in terms of reading, not writing. (And yes, I believe Internet usage is to blame. I could read a hundred pages a day, sitting for hours, before the Internet. Now I have to struggle through a few. My brain is just all over the place and I have to read the same things over and over, convinced I didn't really understand them the first time even if I did.)

The way I get reading done is to just sit and make myself do it. It's the same with writing, except that I don't have to struggle at it nearly as much. I guess I'm fortunate in that and can hardly imagine being so easily distracted from writing the way I am from reading. That's not to say I don't get distracted from writing, just not nearly as badly as you.

One thing I've found that helps is to allow yourself to take breaks. Me, I don't set an amount of time to write, I set an amount of writing to write, because anyone can sit for an hour and write just a few words while the rest of the time is spent gazing out the window. If you set a certain AMOUNT to write rather than an amount of time, it will probably take you longer to reach your goal, yes, but at least you'll reach it, and if you keep at it long enough it could become consistent. Persistence. That's really all I myself can do.

When reading or writing starts to get tedious, it's okay to allow a small break now and then to get something out of one's system, but then you do have to return to work. You have to set limits and compromise. Perhaps you can reward yourself when you've reached your goal. "Finally! I'm done! I can go play with the Wii now..." or some such.

It's also good to try to get certain issues out of the way before starting to write--for example, if something is really wearing on your mind, address it first, THEN write. (Sometimes when something is really bothering me I'll post a journal entry about it, then that frees up brain cells so I can focus on what matters.)

(I've also found that when the distractions aren't available or accessible, it can help. I got a whole lot of reading done when the power was out and I couldn't use the Internet!)

I know this won't help much, but I hope you find something that works for you personally.

ETA:

ell said:

try to get involved to the story you write too. think about characters, try to feel them, get a closer relationship with the plot. try to get on that level, when the story is starting speaking for itself.

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YES!

This is a common problem for writers, in my opinion, and it can be horrible for new and developing writers in particular. Writing is work, sometimes hard work. The rush one feels under the spell of a new and exciting idea quickly fades when one starts down the long road of the novel. For some new writers (and I'm not saying the OP is one), this happens when they first realize that writing isn't all faerie dust and tulip-studded meadows. It's a crash into reality. For others, it can be as simple as the mid-book slump. Yet others, like me, have to get up and move every fifteen or twenty minutes.

Personally, I think it's a waste of time to find a "cause." Pointing fingers just takes those fingers away from the word processor. Regardless of what may be a trigger of the wandering mind, a good dose of self-discipline can help rein in that mind (I think it's necessary). Just tell yourself to quick dickin' around and write the next sentence. Just one sentence. When that's done, write the next sentence. Finish the paragraph. Then, start the next paragraph. I give myself little rewards (the necessary walking around). I have to finish a block of writing before I can get up, but I also make sure I sit right back down and continue after the short stroll.

One paralyzing approach I've seen in students is to look at the story as a whole. The best way to cave is to constantly take work counts and figure out how far one is from the "finish line." Screw the word counts and set smaller, realistic goals. One scene at a time, or even one paragraph at a time. It's amazing how fast word counts can build if one only checks them every week or two. And it's much more satisfying than checking every half-hour.

Turning on electronic devices and games is just a surrender of self-discilpine. Period. But it is good (and cool) to set aside time for those activities as well.

One more sentence. What's a measly little sentence but a few words.

Now one more.

Just one more...