- Pinpoint the cause of your distraction.
Disengage from the cause of your distraction. Are you surfing the internet? Are you getting lost in social media? Are you not taking your writing time seriously? If you aren’t, you can’t expect others to be serious about it either. Distractions happen, but there are only a few reasons you should be distracted and which celebrity is cheating isn’t one of them. The first thing you need to ask yourself is why aren’t you writing?
- Study how other writers handle distractions.
Learn how some of your favorite scribes handle disruptions. Model their strategies for dealing with interruptions until you can design your own.
- Schedule your writing time.
Make an appointment with yourself to write. Don’t do anything but write during the time you carved out to write. Simple, huh? It is, but not always so easy. If you have to do some research, you should make an appointment with yourself to do your research. You may have to unplug from the world and let your family know you are going off the grid. If you are unable to avoid taking calls, you should screen them so as not to lose your momentum. Granted, there are exceptions to every rule and if you do make exceptions, be aware you’re not perpetually interrupted by deviations in your routine.
Article first appeared in Long Island Book Reviews Examiner.
Copyright © 2016 by Diane Morasco
No writer wants to talk about writer’s block but at some point the discussion has to happen. Let’s say it, “writer’s block” is an ugly set of words. It is a vicious vortex to be pulled into, but there are ways to combat the debilitating feeling of distress, frustration and unworthiness. So, what causes writer’s block? The likely explanations for writer’s block are innumerable: angst, a birth, a death, a divorce, an engagement, a job termination, a marriage, and a new home…any life change can be the culprit. I put a list of tips together to tackle and combat your writer’s block. I am rooting for you to keep on doing what you love—write!
How many times have you headed to your writing nook to start writing when after a few minutes of writing (or good gravy, before you even begin!) you check your email? And then you decide to pop on over to check your Facebook? And then why not peep at Twitter? And by that time you’re all in, so why not all of your social media sites? In order to write serenely, smoothly and swiftly one must avoid distractions.
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