Focus, Focus, Focus
ADD. It seems like everyone has ADD. Maybe we do. We watch tidbits of videos on YouTube, clicking until we’re lost in the visual wonderland. We grab food, whatever is closest, so we can satisfy that urge and move on to the next one. We keep our schedules crowded with myriad responsibilities, jumping from one activity to the next without making time to enjoy them. We listen to songs, not albums. We watch internet TV shows that are only a few minutes long. We keep a dozen tabs open and move between them on a whim.
Squirrel! Sorry. I had to check my email. I’m back now.What was I talking about? Focus. I remember now.
I see a contest and want to enter. Problem. I don’t have a piece written fit for that contest. Not an issue, I’ll simply create one. Of course, that means my novel will have to wait.
Oh, look, this short story I wrote a while ago is in the same genre as this magazine I’ve been reading instead of writing. Of course, it will need some editing before sending it and I need to change the format and I need to read a few more stories before I know for sure that it’s a good fit. Of course, that means my novel will have to wait.
Here’s an online class that will help me with my commas. That evil, little, crooked punctuation drives me to drink. I need to learn its proper usage before my editor charges me double. Of course, that means my novel will have to wait.
As might be a bit obvious, I have a focus problem. As a writer, this is particularly harmful. Everything I do at this point is self-motivated. Even when I am completely focused on my career, as those examples attest, I’m still not completing the most important step: finishing my first novel. I am so close, I can taste a “t” and a “h” and a couple “e’s” and I think you get the picture.
This month, I can pat myself on the back. The vast majority of my business time has been used adding words to my novel. There have been a few blogs and a couple non-writing disruptions. Yet, I have not dropped the novel to write a short story or become so distracted by other learning opportunities that my novel gets tossed to the bottom of the pile.
I suppose that’s enough procrastinating for now…….That’s a completely different blog.
To feed your ADD today, I offer a collection of short stories. One Horn to Rule Them All: A Purple Unicorn Anthology is exactly what it claims to be, a book full of purple unicorn stories. The inspiration came from a talk Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta give where they counsel new writers to write the best story they can, every time, even if it must be a purple unicorn story. The creativity in these stories keeps your imagination enthralled. And it’s a perfect fit when you can’t keep yourself focused long enough to finish an entire novel. Enjoy the bite-sized adventures!
Read more books!
ooooo, there’s a show on my DVR…