How to Stay Focused and Produce When you are a Writer by Joanne Walsh

I’ve spent some time gleaning words of wisdom from fiction writers, both published and self-published, about staying focused.  I’d like to share what I’ve harvested with you.

·         Identify the time when you will be most productive.  For some, very first thing, before the day gets going, is when they’re at their most creative.  For night owls like me, evenings are when the juices run.

·         Nail down the time span or word count in which you can stay focused.  This will vary from person to person. Very few can work for more than 4 to 5 hours straight, and it seems that most will produce 250 to 2,000 words in one session.  It may mean you write less, but more frequently.

·         Try to get something down every day. Even if it’s a few sentences, or a re-written paragraph.  It keeps the writing habit going and you in touch with your characters and storyline, not to mention ideas bubbling.

·         Make sure you take breaks away from your computer.  Many writers talk of the value of even 5 minutes apart from their manuscript for giving a fresh perspective on what’s just been written.  Some will break their daily allotted writing time into two or three parts just to get that view.

·         Don’t edit while you write. Just let it flow. You can always go back and refine later.

Do let me know how you stay focused!