Lessons from a NaNo Winner: #8 -- Stay Focused

Whenever you've got a big task with a hard deadline and the clock is ticking, it pays to stay focused.  Easier said than done for NaNoWriMo but let's talk about a few tricks that might help.

Lesson #8 -- Stay Focused.

Like I said, it's easy to get distracted during NaNoWriMo.

Sports fan?  It's football season.  College basketball and the NBA are just underway.  Even Game 7 of the World Series (if needed) falls on November 1st.

Home chef?  Thanksgiving will fall during crunch time and a good Thanksgiving meal requires advance planning and preparation.

Holiday gal?  Repeat, Thanksgiving.   Not to mention that Halloween just ended and Christmas is around the corner so you might be tempted to get your holiday shopping done.

Don't get distracted.

November has to be all about the writing.  ALL about the writing.  The exceptions, of course, are the other things that make up your normal life and can't be put off, like the day job, your spouse and children (although we'll come back to this one), and...that's pretty much it.

Most everything else can be completed before or after NaNo. That includes non-urgent doctor appointments, girls' night out (unless you use it as a writing session), mini-vacations (see girls' night out), etc.

Sure, things will come up, but if you are singularly focused on getting that writing done, you'll do it.

Related to "don't get distracted" is "don't edit."  This one bears repeating:  DON'T EDIT.

NaNoWriMo is about producing words, not polishing them.  November is spew month, the month in which you allow the words to come forth however they come out.  Whether they're pretty, colorful, meaningful, pointed, poignant...whatever...is something to worry about later.  Editing is a distraction that will pull you out of your forward motion, making it impossible to finish.

Here are a few tips:

Find a place of solitude, indoors or outdoors, where you are sure not to be disturbed.

Turn on (or off) the music.

Commit to write before you spend time watching TV, reading or other such leisure activities.

Take advantage of wait time, like waiting in the E/R (if your child breaks an arm or runs a high fever), riding public transportation, etc.

Wear headphones or earplugs if you have to write in the company of others so as not to be pulled into unnecessary conversations.

Stay away from the Internet until you are ready to post your word count for the day.  After posting, you can catch up on how your fellow NaNo participants doing, what's new in the family, TMZ, global politics, etc.  If you need help with this one, you can use one of those online tools that blocks your Internet access for a period of time, like those found in this article.

Keep a variety of writing tools at your fingertips:  a pen and pad in your bag, the voice recorder on your phone, your tablet or laptop on desk.  Wherever you find yourself, you'll be able to make the most of your time.

Employ Comments in your document to indicate where you have research that needs to be done, questions you need to ponder, or changes you need to make.

Carry a printed copy of your plot outline with you so you'll always know where you want to go with your story.  No time wasted trying to recall or figure out what should happen.  Just write.

What else can you do to minimize distractions when you're writing?

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.