One question I’ve seen phrased a lot of different ways is about writer routines. The general assumption seems to be that we find one pattern and that doesn’t change. I think new writers especially fall into this trap. You start writing and figure out a plan that works great at priming the writer brain to make the words…but then it stops working for whatever reason.
Oh no, writer’s block.
No.
Writer brains are fascinating things that always change as our world and families change. Just the people in our heads shifting to a new character can throw a wrench in the mix. So change with the brain. Don’t fight against it.
When I first started writing, I worked first thing in the morning (at an ungodly hour) and late at night (also terribly painful because I need a stupid amount of sleep to function). But sleep issues aside, that meant that the house was always quiet when I wrote.
Fast forward to me writing full time…now it wasn’t quite so easy. To combat the noise, I started listening to music and for a long time had a mix of Imagine Dragon type groups that I listened to, and I knew the words so well it was just background noise.
But then 2020 came around.
I love my kids to pieces, but man, having them home 24/7 added a ton of noise I just couldn’t tune out, and suddenly my regular music on top of that made me nuts. So I switched to Andrea Bocelli on repeat. Over and over. It was so much easier to function…and fun…because for a long time, all the songs that got stuck in my head were Italian that I was mangling.
But then 2020 turned into 2021 and 2022 and they were still home a ridiculous amount and the stress just kept piling on. So I switched to The Piano Guys and that’s where I’m at currently. I’m not sure how much more soothing I can get my music, but hopefully, I don’t need to start listening to those guided meditation podcasts while I write because I’m not sure I could write sex scenes to something that would probably put me to sleep.
So fingers crossed most of the stress is behind me (all of us) and that you figure out the changes you need to make to keep yourself focused on your goals whether they be writing or anything else you’re passionate about. Remember, work with your brain, because sadly, it’s the Dom that’s calling the shots in this relationship.
SHARE IN THE COMMENTS: What do you do to stay focused? Any favorite music?
