by Annette Young
I am used to setting up a make-shift office whenever I am on my travels. Providing the table is the right height and the chair – relatively comfortable, I can set up my laptop or iPad and still keep up to date with my schedule. Whether I am writing for clients, for the Creative Competitor or, purely on some creative writing task, there’s no need to miss out on work. Working from my office or, at home has long been a familiar practice to me. Many people yearn to work from home, dreaming about giving up their day job so they can write, but, it can be incredibly distracting to do so.
I found this myself in the early days. I had to train my mind to work to order, and that’s not always easy. For most writers, especially when starting out, they are governed by creative impulses, rather than being able to seize a writing opportunity. Yes, even it they have to nail themselves to their chair. I learned to turn off my phone, turn off the television and, sometimes, disconnect from the Internet when the temptation to trawl through Facebook became too tempting.
Even so, I often find that the most distracting can be those who play a prominent role in our lives i.e. our families. You can be self-motivating, dedicated and able to offset most distractions but, it can be difficult to make others give you the time and space to write.
Most people feel that writing is just a hobby. They don’t take it seriously and so, you have to show them that your creativity means something to you. You have to stand up for your writing, be proud of it, and, make sure you write regularly. Of course, there’s a difference between saying it and doing it.
Assuming that you really want to improve your writing and to bring it on leaps and bounds, you need to set up a schedule each day or, determine to write on your day off from work. Ideally, write regularly. Make notes in advance so you can stimulate your creative cells. It is difficult to train your mind to respond to your demands to write, but, you can do it. It can help if you create some titles or opening sentences so you have a strong starting point.
If you have a spare room, hide away for a while and make the room a creative zone as this will help to boost your creativity. If you can’t do this, learn to block out the noise around you – yes, screaming children, demanding pets or conversations from your partner can be distracting, but, in time, you will switch off.
If you have ever lost yourself in the pages of a good book, you will know that wonderful feeling of being completely involved in the story and of losing track of real life. That’s what you want to achieve within your own writing endeavors. Once you start to write regularly, (don’t worry about how good the writing is) you will improve your writing technique. You’ll feel great because you are visibly achieving something and more, you will find that others start to respect your creative time.
