Thursday, March 31, 2016

Writer's Block? Or is it distraction?

I, like many writers out there, have had my bouts with writer's block. But, so far, they have been infrequent. My real problem is all of the distractions that either derail my thought process or prevent me from writing altogether. So now, I'm beginning to question if I've actually suffered writers block at all.
Okay, to the Googles...

writer's block
1. the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.

dis·trac·tion
1. a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else. 

Ah, okay. That helps. I think it's important to understand the difference between writer's block and distraction because one of them may very well be avoidable (well, in theory that is).

My distractions, for the most part, are self inflicted. I simply have too many interests. Did I really just confess that? Don't tell my husband! It's true though - I enjoy a wide range of things. My hobbies include writing, baking, reading, woodworking, horses, crafting, spending time with family, Netflix & chill, etc, etc. (No, this isn't copied from my profile on Coffee Loves Bagel. I don't have a profile, silly! :) )

For many writers, they can use their interests as inspiration for their stories. I haven't quite found where any of my interests fit with my characters. Well, not anything I can do in real life anyway. I write fantasy. Besides, though I do all sorts of things, I still think myself rather dull and I'm pretty sure nobody would be interested in reading my life story. I digress...

I think, if I really analyzed my writing process, I would have to conclude that I've never truly experienced writer's block. I always have ideas for things to write. What I often lack is focus. Too often I'm thinking up great scenes for books I haven't even begun to write. Not helpful when I'm still trying to get my second book through final editing :(

It also hasn't helped that I've been working on projects for my sister's wedding and renovating two houses - the one I live in and the one I'm selling. Sure, I'll probably get a better offer when I sell the old house, and my current home will be all the better by my efforts. But, meanwhile, my second book is getting cold and lonely.

When I can sit down and write, I'm thinking about all of the things I have to do. I start to feel guilty working on my book when I should be working on my "to do" list. So, it's Distractions = 1, Writing = 0. Could this be an avoidable situation? Absolutely! Why? How? Well, because I'm the one "inventing" my distractions and, if I would just stop making more work for myself, I'd have more time to write.

Sure, some things have to be done - they must take first priority. But, some distractions can very well wait their turn! It's all a matter of setting my priorities and focusing my energy to doing one thing at a time and doing it well. Am I going to give up all of my other hobbies entirely? No, ain't gonna happen. I just need to organize my time better. Oh, and figure out a way to earn a living from my writing so that I can quit my job!

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