Sunday, October 4, 2015

Distractions

Yesterday when I was working on my takeover time slots for the online portion of the book release event I am a part of I was discussing nanowrimo the annual writing challenge that I take part in. I was asked if I ever found it difficult to write because of distractions or if I have a way of blocking them out. It took a lot of thinking to properly address this question.

Like anyone in the creative arts whether it is writing, painting, sculpture, photography or any other form or creation it is easy to get distracted. Artists as a personality type tend to be easily distractible people but we all have our own ways of dealing with them. I can be easily distracted, it may not be A.D.D. but very similar. I find myself avoiding writing in so many ways, from people watching to social media and games on my phone. I have tried many times to sit at home in my office to write, occasionally being productive. More often than not when I am in my office I find the lack of distractions to be a distraction. 

In order to avoid the silence and solitude of my office I go to a nearby coffeeshop to write. Being surrounded by things that should draw my attention but at the same time have an everyday monotony to them can actually help me focus. But then I have to contend with the music chosen by the store and the conversation going on around me so I bring my wonderful headphones in order to plug into my music and check out of the rest of the world for awhile. Music can be a great accompaniment to writing though if it doesn't tie into the story it can again also pull attention.

When I took on nano the first time I was hoping and became gratefully aware that the pressure it put me under triggered my creativity. I felt that surge of accomplishment every time I updated my word count that I began to crave. I have found ways to get that same rush as I now work outside the realm of November and the nano world. For me I have found the perfect balance of helpful distractions and the ones that get in the way. I think it is just a matter trial and error to find what works best for each individual. I know that is not advice or the answer anyone would want to hear but since we are all so different it is important to remember that what works for me may in fact hurt your progress. If anyone finds something that helps them though I would love to share the tip in upcoming posts in order to give options to those still searching.

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