World of Words #20: “Feeding the Fire: Maintaining Our Focus During Troubled Times!”

Troubled times indeed. In the midst of this ongoing global pandemic and social and political unrest, we may find it harder than ever to focus on our craft. Yes, writing, creation, and storytelling are our passions; but then there is real life, right? And at times, whether we want it to or not, real life takes priority over our passions. 

For most, if not all of us, taking care of our families, trying to protect ourselves from contracting this virus, constantly worrying about money and food, and keeping a roof over our heads are probably at the forefront of our minds. All of this consumes a good bit of our time, maybe even most of our time. Not to mention the amount of time we spend constantly glued to the news channels clinging to every tidbit of breaking news as we continue to search for a light at the end of the tunnel. And of course, let’s not forget that most of us work a regular 9 to 5 job. Of course, having a stable job is a blessing, but it’s also very time consuming and draining in every way. 

All of this can be a lot to digest day after day. With so much going on and with the distractions of the world and the lack of time, how can we possibly focus on our craft and find a way to continue being a productive writer? Needless to say, it’s probably a challenge for many us, but…we all knew this journey wouldn’t be easy even under normal circumstances and these are definitely NOT normal circumstances. 

Here’s the thing, if we are able to temporarily put aside some of these concerns and carve out just a little bit of time for ourselves, then this quarantine time can present us with an outstanding opportunity to get some fantastic writing done. The challenge, of course, is finding the time as well as the ability to free our minds enough to actually focus and conduct a productive writing session. 

In previous posts, we discussed having a writer’s plan. That is even more important now with so much going on and with the many things pulling us so many different directions. So, advanced planning is key. We should try to have an idea of what we want to write beforehand, so when we do sit down for our writing session, we are able to be dive right in and start writing without wondering, “what am I going to write?” It doesn’t matter if it an existing project or just a “free-writing” session, we should try to have an idea of how we plan on using our time. Another key is flexibility and out-of-the-box thinking. Maybe we are used to being able to write at a set time or on a set day and in a specific part of the house or even at another location like a library or cafe. That may need to change right now. Current circumstances may dictate that we adopt a “get in where you can fit in” type of mindset, meaning we have to take the free-time as it comes along even if it is outside of our normally scheduled time or if that means having to conduct a writing session in a place that isn’t our normal writing location. Maybe we can’t use our favorite computer. Maybe we have to use our tablet, phone, or even good old fashioned pen and paper. Whatever it takes.

If we can plan ahead and apply enough flexibility and out-of-the-box thinking to conduct one great writing session, then we can conduct two great writing sessions, and then three and so on and so on. After we manage to feed that fire that first time, it will demand to be fed again and again. We just have to step beyond the inconveniences and limitations of our “new norm” and allow ourselves to start (or restart). We have to ignite that flame and allow it to burn. Then we will be forced to push through the distractions and the exhaustion, and do whatever it takes, to keep feeding that fire. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to continue writing, continue creating, and continue telling our stories. 

 Until the next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay blessed! Write on!