Finding It Hard To Focus

I find it somewhat helpful to get out of the house with a writing buddy. Grab a table at an internet cafe and kick each other *hard* under the table when you catch each other on facebook.
Make a to-do list and keep checking it off.
Don't beat yourself up. A week is not a long time. There are times- times of the month, times of high stress, when I find it impossible to concentrate. I go for a walk or clean the kitchen or dance around to lady gaga or whatever it takes to snap out of it.

Oddly enough, I find I've been actually writing more when I'm forced to be away from the computer. I've got a pencil and a beat-up blue notebook that I bring along everywhere, writing in longhand. I'm trying to force myself to be less of a perfectionist when it comes to first drafts.

Mind you, I don't know how well I'm succeeding...

If you have a laptop, take it somewhere. Go somewhere and do it with a sense of purpose. Tell a roommate or someone, "I'm going to the library/cafe/wherever to write."
When I was in college I went to the Tim Horton's that was open 24 hours a day. 2 am, coffee, donuts, and sense of purpose. It was like my office.
...there is no tim horton's where I live now. Life is bleak.

For me, sometimes getting really busy with other things so I have less time to write actually draws me back to the work-in-progress -- so sometimes I make myself get involved in another non-writing project, especially something I can do with my hands and that will take multiple days (home improvement projects are a speciality. I think my husband can always tell I'm having a tough time with my writing when I come home with paint cans and spackle). I'll let my mind wander as I do my work, and often I'll find myself thinking about my book. By the time the paint is dry I've got tons of ideas.

Obviously, this is not something you can do every day, but it works for major blocks. But I also like to get out of the house with a notebook. I carry one everywhere, and just write down little things that I think of -- not even whole scenes, sometimes just a turn of phrase or a descriptive detail. But when I'm back in front of the computer and not sure what to work on, I have pages of notes I can turn to that can help me get back into the book.

I can't make myself focus on cue, and distractions are always there, whatever your phase of life. Sometimes you need a break to get excited about the book again, and then when you go back the book itself is what keeps you focused.

Maybe put it aside for a while. Do something completely different, or just forget about it for a while.

Then come back to it with fresh eyes and a fresh mind.

Yeah, I was thinking along the lines of MJ above.

Your distraction sounds real.

Maybe you should pay attention to it, give it some serious time.

Write at 2 am like our friend above who seems to be messaging us from the bottom of a well. Write when worrying about your future can't really accomplish anything. Give it the time it seems to be demanding, but make yourself write anyway, when there's nothing left to do. (And at 2 am, if you have no sex or drugs demanding your attention, there really is nothing left that needs doing.)

Just don't waste your time offering advice to other writers on forums when you should be writing.

A friend suggested this, and said he got it from "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." Make a list of all ongoing projects; every book you're reading, every poker night, every ritual that takes time, etc. Stop doing anything that is not either necessary or fulfilling. That usually cuts me some elbow room and I can concentrate better.

Irissel said:

So I've been having a hard time focusing on my WIP lately. It's not even a first draft, just a rewrite, but I can't seem to punch out more than 100 words a day if anything. I think it has to do with me constantly worrying about what I'm going to do after college (since I'm graduating in a year with an English degree). This distraction seems to be constant, and I haven't been able to concentrate on my writing for over a week!

Anybody have any techniques they use to banish distractions and focus on writing? The best focus I can remember having was when I was studying abroad in England and could just walk to a nearby cafe for my daily writing endeavors. I'm thinking about driving to a Starbucks are a Panera one of these days to get my focus yet but I don't know if that well have quite the same effect as the English cafes...

Click to expand...

Sounds like you're definitely getting stressed over next year, so perhaps you should take some of the time honored steps for stress reduction.

1) Get some exercise everyday. You want to do something that elevates your pulse and breathing rate and makes you sweat for 20-30 minutes. In these situations, I've found it best to get up, pull clothes on, and take a brisk walk first thing in the morning. The walk doesn't just help you feel better physically, it releases endorphins so you fell less stressed, gets more oxygen into your blood stream and to your brain so that you think better too. It also gives you a chance to do some constructive thinking--either about your writing or about your future. Alternatively, you can use it as a time NOT to think--treat it as a meditation during which you only focus on the present--your breathing rate, your walking rate, the world around you, and don't worry about anything else until your walk is over. I am particularly prone to "living in my head" and not noticing the world around me. I find that walking gives me a chance to notice light and shadow, colors, plants, trees, peoples, etc., and is a break from all the worries.

2) Confront your stress. If what will happen next year is bothering you, then think logically about what the possibilities are. You can go on for more schooling, you can find a job, you may not find a job--what will you do then? Decide what steps are best for you to take in each eventuality. Maybe you should look into alternative options if the job market is impossible (Americorp or Peace Corp, for example), or a work holiday abroad. You won't save any money, but it will give you something to do. Start looking at job possibilities for people in the humanities (editor, writer, PR, etc.) for organizations who want someone with good skills but no experience. Consider whether you could do freelance editing (copy editor or technical editor) for publishers and magazines and contact a bunch to let them know you're available. Consider freelance non-fiction writing. In the event you can't get find a job, you can create a job. Make some plans, set aside some time to look at possibilities, look at Craig's list jobs for some locations you'd like to live, and see what's available. Check the job listing sites at major universities and businesses. Place a limit on how long you do this on any given day and then stick to that limit. Create a folder of job possibilities and ideas. Make a plan for when you need to have your resume together and when to start submitting job applications. Talk to the career planning and placement office at your school about your plans and about possible industries/businesses you should consider. Stick it all in a folder, put any important dates to take action on your calendar, and set it all aside so you can write.

3) Find someone you can talk to about this. Career planning and placement is a good place to start--make an appointment to discuss the best way to approach a job search and when to get started. Your school's counseling center is another option. A psychologist can give really good advice on how to confront and manage stress of this sort. And if it's preventing you from working, it's important enough that you should seek help to get back on track. You could also approach a friend who will listen without feeling burdened and who is generally sensible and can give you common sense advice. Sometimes the things that worry us are really nonsensical (and a good friend will let you know this). Other times they are quite legitimate and it can help to have someone tell you you're not overreacting.

Also, perhaps you should change your approach to editing. Set yourself a tight time limit to get through each section/chapter/page of your book. For example, give yourself 30 minutes to read through the next chapter and make notes (just notes, not the revisions themselves) on what you need to do to them. I find that printing out sections of the ms double or triple spaced so I have room to make notes, and then taking the paper copy with me to a coffee shop or library works really well. I force myself to read through the whole thing as quickly as possible, making mental notes on what I might want to do. Then I go back through again as quickly as possible and make notes on the paper on what needs to be done. Then I take it home again (or get out my laptop) and actually begin working on the revisions. I find that this reduces second thoughts where I realize I wouldn't have made the kinds of revisions that I made if I had only been thinking ahead. On one occasion, I printed out the entire ms of a 90,000 word book, put it in a 3-ring binder, and took it on an airplane with me for a coast-to-coast flight. By the time we landed, I'd reviewed the whole thing, made notes on sections that could be deleted, details to add, things that should be moved, things that could be edited to shorten, or should really be expanded. When I got to my destination, I had all the plans made so that I could edit on my computer as quickly as possible. I don't know if this will work for you, but I find that when I work at my computer, I'm constantly tinkering with words and correcting typos and punctuation, even playing with the format, instead of looking at how my revisions fit into plans for the whole book. Working out a plan on paper helps me to stay focused on what really needs to be done, rather than being distracted by non-essentials.

Everybody is worrying what they're going to do after college. The job market pretty much sucks right now. So at least you're in good company!

I'll solve your problem for you: After college, you'll take any job you can find to tide you over and keep your head above water until a GOOD job comes along. Ahhh...with that weight off your shoulders, you can get back to work writing!

Okay, seriously -- I understand the feeling. I'm having some major personal difficulties right now in my life and it is really cutting into my writing energy in a serious way, so I know exactly what you're talking about. It sucks to go through, but the best way to deal with it is to stick to a writing routine even if you only get 100 words done per day. Keep writing at the same time every day, for the same length of time.

And at other times of the day, change up your routines as much as you can to get some fresh experiences into your head. Go for walks...visit some local parks and people-watch...call up friends you haven't talked to in a long time. Anything to get your brain doing something fresh and new. It helps me a lot, when I get into these jams.

Good luck!