Don’t Stop Writing!
Here’s some ways to redirect your focus if you’re stuck.
Hi there! How’s your NaNoWriMo novel going? Mine is *shrug.* I’ll be honest. I’m struggling. I thought it would be fun and cathartic to write through my novel. I’ve had it baking in my head for decades, and I’m finally ready to get it out. But I’ve hit a wall already. I’m groggy from staying out late with my kids yesterday for Halloween, which is probably the main reason why I’m having trouble focusing. Coming here to Medium to read articles and write my own is one way of dealing with my distraction and further procrastinating (but hey at least I’m still writing). To help me refocus, I’ll write an article about methods I’ve used in the past to strengthen my creative and focus powers when I’m feeling blocked.
Write something else
Is your novel getting you down? You’ve written a hundred words already and got through the introduction. Now you’re stuck on the next plot shift. That’s okay. Disengage from your novel for awhile and work on a different project. Don’t count it toward your NaNoWriMo word count, of course, but just write something. Write here, on Medium. Write in your private blog. Start a new blog. Write a poem. Write a short story. Write in your journal. Write for fun. Don’t share it if you don’t want to. Just write. It will definitely help bring your creative powers back up to full volume. Exercise your creative brain. Energy begets energy.
Social media is not helping
I know I’m guilty of this. I’m working hard on building a social media presence right now, so I have often found myself recently drifting to focusing on that instead of actually writing. Checking my social medias is a HUGE distraction and definitely interferes with my creative and writing processes. I know it’s hard, but please stopping checking your apps. Put your phone far away from your writing space and distract your mind away from social media with your writing instead. You can update the world after you’re happy with the work you’ve done today.
Get your blood pumping
Sometimes our body needs exercise for our brain to chill out and focus. I don’t know why. I’m not wasting my time researching that right now, but I have definitely noticed a difference with my focus ability before and after intense exercise. I’m not talking a few jumping jacks or sit-ups. I like to jog or run and I push myself when I do. Last year, I started training for a 5k, which I successfully participated in (as in, I finished). Soon afterwards, I fell off the jogging wagon, but lately I’ve started to get back into it BECAUSE the physical activity helps my creative muscles, too. I challenge myself to run for 5 mins at a time, then walk for 5 mins. I work up my endurance slowly every week so I can run for longer. This endurance strengthening also helps my writing.
Or just go for a walk
If you’re not used to running, just getting outside and walking around will give you an unexpected boost to your ability to refocus and write. The fresh air will oxygenate your brain. The sunlight will boost your positive mindset. Also, take mental notes of your surroundings and question every detail about the buildings, or the people, or the vegetation. Why is this person walking there? Why does that house have such a unique detail? Who designed that? Who planted that tree there and why. It seems so random. Why is the dog stopping there? What makes that particular spot special? Take this raw material from your environment and let your brain gears churn out new writing product.
Hopefully one of these suggestions will help you, because they do help me — a lot. That’s why I’m here. I am feeling much more focused already. So it was nice meeting with you here, but now I need to go get my word count up on my other thing. You go do the same.
Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment to let me know what you think! To get more from me, grace me with a follow. I also write for The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center. You can find me on X and Instagram as Meggiebeth_Writes.
