“If a writer stops observing, he is finished.” —Hemingway
Maintaining focus has probably been my biggest challenge when trying to write. I feel it is paramount for good writers to not only learn to drown out distractions but also to learn to work with them. Here are a few tips that I’ve found helpful with my writing process:
- Finding a quiet place is helpful, whether that is somewhere as obvious as a library or some place more subtle like a clearing in a park. If it is relatively clear of most action, it’s usually pretty helpful. Should you feel there aren’t any places like that around, you can always just buy some noise-cancelling headphones. It’s just harder to focus if you hear music, talking, crying, or various noises rushing through your head all at once. The key is to just find a place or scenario where you feel you can get the most work done.
- When writing, try and distance yourself from electronics if you can. In the digital age, this advice may seem hard to take, but I feel that this reminds us that there is an entire world out there that writers need to watch.
- I find I come up with more of my more clever ideas at random moments during the day. That is why I suggest keeping a small notepad/notebook on hand to record what you think in those moments. This way these ideas can be expanded upon and spruced up when you are solely focused on writing. Don’t worry if they aren’t complete thoughts. Write. It. Down.
- Dedicate one day during your week, for at least one hour, to do nothing but write. With all the other hours in the week, you can (usually) get done whatever needs to be done, and still get thoughts to paper. Hopefully, you will learn to eventually donate more and more of your time to honing your craft.
Today’s guest post is by Grant Weingart. Thanks for stopping by!
It really is bizarre how many different ways people can write. I think that we each have our own unique rituals and situations that help us work. For example, I usually need to have white noise when I write, and I’ve found that listening to videos of the sound of showers running is a great tool for relaxing and clearing out all other noises. I’ve also noticed that my best ideas come to me at church. That could be because I’m opening up more spiritually which is allowing ideas to flow (or I’m just not paying attention as much as I should. Who knows?). These factors might impede other peoples writing, but they help mine. I wonder what causes each person to benefit from each method.
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I know I’ve heard a story (whether true or not) about how Flannery O’Connor would refuse to even greet guests until her set-aside writing time was over. Wouldn’t it be nice to be such a prolific writer you could be excused for rudeness? Anyway, I know I can’t stand writing if there’s any sort of talking or music going on in the background, so maybe noise-cancelling headphones would be a good investment! Thanks for the tips!
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Thank you for writing this. I struggle to keep writing occasionally, especially when the semester begins to crank up. I find it best if I can just write everyday in some way shape or form. Maybe that’s an essay, a poem, a short story, or a retelling of the necronomicon, but anything helps. Often jazz music or classical piano will give me the inspiration needed to just get something on paper.
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