Distractions

I was talking to a friend of mine at my day job the other day and she asked me how I am able to go to a coffeeshop and be able to write while I am there. She mentioned that she struggled with distractions when she was in school and tried to study anywhere other than a quiet corner of the library or her dorm room. She talked about how if it wasn't almost completely silent with no one else around that she would never be able to remember anything she was reading and found it impossible to think about how I would write in those conditions.

I used to believe that as well and never ventured out but then I started to find the lack of distractions to be a distraction on there own. My mind would hear things or make up things to keep me from being able to concentrate. That was when I left the house the first time and went to the library to try and make some progress there. I was moderately successful but eventually I had to admit that the sound of people typing around me was distracting so I needed a way to block it out. That was when I first made a playlist for my book.

I was concerned the sound would get in my head and mute the voices of my characters but in time I trained myself to just put the music in the background like a white noise and the characters were still speaking loud and clear. In fact all the music did was enhance the mood of the book. As I got practice and was able to find ways to not just block out the distractions but incorporate some of them as on the spot inspirations.

I was not always able to do that but with practice I believe most writers are able to overcome almost anything that keeps them from concentrating. In fact I have written this entire blog post while sitting in my pajamas on my couch in the middle of the afternoon while watching an episode of Criminal Minds and simultaneously having a conversation on Facebook with a friend about an upcoming event. Like anything else finding a way to block out the things that keep you from doing work just takes dedication and practice and you will be able to overcome the excuses you may not have even realized you were making.