Life is full of distractions. As writers, we live our lives on the computer where Twitter and Facebook and all of those other social media sites offer up a load of distractions to keep you from doing what you need to finish that book or those revisions.
But what about the other distractions? The ones from your kids or your friends or the timer on the oven telling you supper is ready?
These are the ones that are harder - if not impossible - to ignore. So what can you do about them? Treat them as deadlines.
 |
| Write or Die by Dr. Wicked |
It may not be easy to predict when you will be distracted from your work, but setting quick and short goals for yourself is a good way to get a lot done a little at a time.
Try doing 5 minute writing sprints. Sure, that's not a whole lot of time, but it's enough to get a few sentences down before the next distraction. If you're not sure you can do that, try WriteorDie.com. Or, if you are a little freaked by the idea of that particular site, how about WrittenKitten.net where you are - instead of punished by taking words away - rewarded by seeing a cute picture of a kitten. Who doesn't like cute kittens?
If neither of these are for you, try free writing. The more you practice the better you get. Soon enough, you've got hundreds of words written before your next distraction comes along.
If you treat distractions as deadlines, the distractions are still there, but they become useful, pushing you to do your best in the time you have.
***
Kathleen is a writer of YA Paranormal Romance and Fantasy. She lives with her husband, two kids, and a cat in Southern Indiana where she spends her days watching bad sci-fi movies and reading all the books. Her writing began with poetry when she was 12 years old. As she got older, she became interested in writing stories and books. She majored in Theatre in college and loves delving into the psyche of of others, figuring out what makes people tick. When she’s not reading a book, playing with her kids, or pulling her cat out of a tree you can find her on Twitter, Facebook, or her blog.
I have heard about write or die several times. I guess I just need to sit down and try it, but I admit, I'm a little scared...
ReplyDeleteI used it during NaNoWriMo last year. There are several settings so you won't necessarily loose any of your writing. It just depends on how you use it=)
DeleteSimple awesome advice. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Corinne! It comes from personal experience.
DeleteWonderful advice! My CPs uses writeordie and swear by it. I liked it but still use the pomodoro technique.
ReplyDeleteI've not used the pomodoro technique though I have heard of it. Maybe I should look into it=)
DeleteKathleen has two children? Wow she looks so young herself!
ReplyDeleteI like your ideas re: distractions. i get them lots too. Turning off the internet connection helps. Good points love that written kitten.
Yep, two kids=)
DeleteTurning off the internet is a good idea. I've used both write or die and written kitten. It really depends on what kind of time crunch I'm in to get words down.
Great advice! I need to follow this. A break in concentration takes so much for me to get refocused, not just in writing but in anything
ReplyDeleteLOL I knew about Write or Die and used it a couple years ago to help power through a first draft, I'd never heard of Written? Kitten! before though, that sounds fun :)
ReplyDelete~ Rhonda Parrish
Good advice! I've never heard of the Kitten one. That's really cute!
ReplyDelete