I begin each day with lofty writing goals.
“Today, I will find the time to write that chapter…jot down notes on that scene that’s been gnawing in the corner of my mind…one page at least!”
“I will get up early…write late into the night…sneak a moment during my lunch…all day saturday…I promise!”
Nonetheless, each day, I have a hundred things that prevents my writing.
I overslept…skipped lunch…stuck at work late…happy hour…emergency weekend lunches/dinners with friends to complain about how absolutely busy I am…dishes…laundry…how did Inot notice how dusty those blinds were…just look at those dust bunnies under my bed…where does the time go?
The reality is, all writers are busy. Yet, there are the special few who somehow manage to write and publish their work. So, what is the difference between them and the rest of us too busy organizing our perfume samples to write?
Focus. Determination. Discipline.
Call it what you will, but it is possible to stay on target and write. Maybe not write the great American novel, but at least complete something.
The most successful writers generally set a daily writing goal for themselves. Some use a block of time, others a word limit.
I use public humiliation. I publicly state my goals, on this blog for instance. Also, I stated them at my writer’s group.
So far this year, I’m on target. I have been working on my novel. I’ve already written another chapter since the beginning of the year. I promised two blog posts a week. So far not bad. And I promised to write and upload short stories to my writers group. Well, I have not written another short story, but I did upload a new one from the end of last year to the meetup site.
I feel pretty good about my goals so far, but January’s not over yet. Ask me again in April.
How do you stay focused?
