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Guard Your Writing Routine Carefully by Raymond King
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Guard Your Writing Routine Carefully |
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Education
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Guarding your writing routine can be tough! You may feel like you need a 'Beware of the Dog' sign on your door, with a picture of a particularly ferocious canine to frighten away intruders. These intruders seem ever ready to interfere with writing success by stopping writers from what we most need to do to succeed - that is, to write. There are distractions within and without. A few of them are unavoidable; many of them are not. Let's look at them separately. Distractions from within: Physical distractions- such as hunger and thirst, or discomfort. Mental distractions - usually seen as a desire to do anything other than writing. Even washing a mound of dirty dishes can seem better than writing if you have struck a difficult patch. Preventing physical distractions: Physical distractions are the simplest to prevent. If you are the sort of person who needs small amounts of food regularly, then have an appropriate snack in your room. If, like I do, you prefer to forget about food while you're writing, then try cleaning your teeth before you start. This, for me, is the most effective way of telling my body to forget about food for a while. Put a bottle of chilled water near your desk, or make yourself a flask or a large insulated cup of hot beverage of your choice and put it on a table nearby. Another physical distraction is discomfort. Other than buying a better chair, or reminding yourself to sit with a straight back; some stretching and breathing exercises are probably the best way of dealing with these. If you are concentrating hard, you might not remember to breathe as well as you should, or to sit with good posture, which will inevitably lead to discomfort. Preventing mental distractions: Mental distractions can't be prevented so readily, I find. They are most often a reaction to your mind saying: "This is too tough. Give me a break!" The only way I have been able to deal with them is to take some deep breaths, do a few exercises (such as rolling your shoulders, stretching your fingers, arching your back - anything to make your body a bit more comfortable), and then try to get going again. If this doesn't work, I then try to evaluate why I am struggling, and think about solutions. Should I leave this bit of writing for the next day, and get on with something a little less demanding for the next hour? Or do I just need to toughen up and get back to work? Distractions from without: The second group of distractions is those that come from outside of you. These are most commonly visitors, phones (or other media), family members, or pets. These usually come unannounced, and can be urgent. By all means, deal with them if they're important. However, if the same distractions continue to happen, try to reduce their frequency or likelihood of recurring. For example: Set up an answer-phone with appropriate spiel encouraging callers to leave a message. If you must answer the phone or respond to a visitor, don't chatter. Just attend quickly to anything urgent, or tell the person you'll call back. If the caller is a friend or family member, remind them gently but firmly that this is your writing time so could they please not phone or visit you at this time of day. (Many writers like to use the early hours of the morning to prevent such distractions). Young children can be given a selection of toys or colouring-in books if you can't manage to write when they're asleep. Some mothers arrange a child-minding sharing arrangement, so that each mother gets some time off for what they want to do. Dogs can be given a run before you start, if they're boisterous. Cats aren't usually a problem, unless they want to smooch all over you as you work - in which case, put them in another room for that period of time. I haven't heard of fish, hamsters and other pets being a problem though - unless you use them as an excuse when you should be working, and those internal distractions are getting to you! Dealing with regularly occurring distractions is easier with some strategies in place. So, invest in a dangerous dog warning sticker if you must, and get on with your writing. buy essaye
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