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struggling to put this into exact words but how does one overcome being scattered brained? whenever i try to write on my laptop, i get sidetracked with outlining a different writing project or finding a better software to write in. it also doesn't help that i can physically my energy dipping.

is this an extreme type of burnout and how do i get out of it?

This could be burnout, but I'm gonna be honest with you, as someone diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, it also really sounds like ADHD. Now, I'm not trying to diagnose you on the internet, but I am going to give you my ADHD focus tips to see if they'll help. You can also try them if you're also feeling like it's burnout, but burnout is a long process in which you primarily need to give your brain time to rest. If the following isn't helping, you need to not force yourself to try to write. But I also recommend giving the following a try to see if they help:

Change the medium. A computer connected to the internet is distracting. I handwrite my outline and rough drafts and type my first draft into a portable tablet with limited abilities. On my main computer, there's too many things to distract me from concentrating. I need to get away from them. My outline process uses color coding, flashcards, and sticky notes. It's messy from the outside, but it really helps my brain think about the plot better outside of a blank word document.

Change your location. I do a lot of writing at the library. I'm in the middle of moving (with all the frustrations that causes), but I plan on constructing a workspace area that will be walled off with shelves from distractions (my bed, for example) to help my brain switch from workspace to the space for everything else. You may need to experiment with that kind of space works best for you.

Gauge your peak energy times. No matter how much sleep or how much free time I have, my brain cannot write after 8pm. The ability to put words together just stops. Therefore, I have to adjust my schedule around when I am productive - doing chores before bed rather than when I get home, meal-prep on the weekends so I don't spend an hour making dinner, etc. Spent a week making a note of when you feel the most energized versus the least. Some periods of time are going to be off-limits (like when you're at work). But there's lots of time where you might be able to reallocate to writing.

Also check out:

Avoiding Burnout (And What to Do When You Burnout)

Tips for Writing with ADHD

22 Ways to Stay Focused When Writing

#writing focus #writing with ADHD #dealing with burnout #writing advice

I don't know if you've been asked about this before, but may I ask how can one just "focus" on their WIP to finish it. I've been making my Our Flag Means Death AU for a month now but I can't help myself to make other fics as well, the ideas are just drowning my brain tbh 😔. Any tips or what to do ?

Hi darling! ❤️

Oh, wow. That’s quite the dilemma.

Okay, so first off, I have to say I know exactly how you feel — I have prompts and AUs swirling around in my head all. the. time. It’s crazy, and sometimes, it makes me sad when I realize there’s no way I could possibly write all of them in this lifetime, in a way that does each story justice.

I think that’s just how creative minds work — it’s so easy and so tempting to find a new AU in the everyday that it’s just hard to stop. I don’t have a surefire fix for the problem, but I can suggest some things.

1) When you’re writing longer fics, it’s easy to get distracted by AUs because thinking up an idea is usually the most fun part of writing. It happens to me when I hit a wall or an issue in what I’m actually writing, because it’s just more fun to let your mind drift to a story that doesn’t need you to work. But then, you have to remind yourself that each AU is going to have its problems, and while a new story may seem easy at first, there’s always going to be a moment where the writing is a struggle.

2) Not all prompts have “meat” to them. Some of them are just cute ideas that don’t necessarily have a larger story, and you tend to realize that when you sit with the idea for awhile. You’ll find that not every idea can be expanded into a full fic, and some AUs really are just going to be drabbles or meme ideas.

Which leads me to…

3) Write drabbles and ficlets and time stamps. Sometimes, your brain needs a break from the plot of it all. Sometimes, you just need to write a fun little scene where you don’t have to think about too much exposition or backstory. Sometimes, you just wanna write smut with zero build up. 🤷🏻‍♀️ let yourself do that. Bang out a 500 word scene with no pressure and no context in one of the ‘verses you’re interested in, and post it on tumblr or as a snippet series on AO3. Usually, this change of pace will help you both attend to your craving to test drive that new AU, and clear your mind so you can refocus on your bigger fic with refreshed energy.

4) It’s okay to write slowly and table fics for awhile. Something I learned after I started writing was that there are stories that will demand to be written, no matter how many times you try to put them down or how many other smaller things you write in between. It took me three years to complete OLNF. I didn’t look at that document for 7 months, and I still ended up finishing it because the story demanded to be written, however slowly. Sometimes, you can’t put a timeline on creativity, and as hard as it is to accept that, you have to trust your creative timing and your creative process, no matter how frustrating.

Hope this helps! Good luck! 🍀

#iaw ask #iaw anonymous #iaw writing #writing focus

When you write with purpose, your story has an underlying sense of intention and direction. Learn 7 simple ways to keep your drafts' focus strong.

1. Use a flexible outline

2. Write the last lines first

3. Write a scene’s purpose statement

4. Use shorthand to avoid getting lost in detail

5. Identify themes and scene groups before you revise

6. Create purpose through tone and mood

7. Get constructive feedback

[...]

#writing focus #writing advice #getting started

Getting in “The Zone”

Hey everyone, it’s Abby here with another writing post! Today I want to talk about the mystical “zone”. I’m pretty sure we’ve all experienced it at least once, even if it wasn’t with our writing. A lot of the time it’s pretty difficult to get there, but after a lot of practice I want to share some of my knowledge.

What is “the zone”?

Have you ever just sat down to do something and you’re working and wow suddenly three hours has passed but you’ve still got so much more left in you? Congratulations, you’ve experienced the zone! (That’s how I’ll be referring to it for the rest of this post, just FYI.)

That’s how we usually think of it, but the zone isn’t always hours of perfect nonstop work. For example, the first time I really got there was when I was fourteen, testing for my first Dan black belt. It was maybe a ten minute performance in front of what was easily two hundred people, but I was on fire. Everything seemed to move slow and fast all at once; of the hours I had spent perfecting my every movement, this was my peak performance. Every time I’ve performed since I’ve slipped into the zone, so it’s something I’m more of less familiar with.

Maybe one day you sit down to organize something and it all goes by but you’re still in that mindset, so you go around and tidy up some other things. Maybe you’re so focused in on this one thing that interrupting it would be a sin. That’s the zone.

How could the zone help my writing?

The writing zone is an experience that must be treasured. It’s when you have the mood, the atmosphere, the inspiration all at the perfect level to sit down and write whatever you want. If you’re anything like me, this doesn’t happen often, so it may be in your best interest to milk it for everything that it’s worth.

How can I get there?

Sometimes it’s built by habit, other times you can—for lack of better word—stimulate it. The zone you find for yourself is often very particular, so it’s best if you try to focus in a controlled environment. Let’s break it down.

Comfort.

You can’t focus on the task at hand if you’re more worried about how much this chair is hurting your back. Dress in clothes that get you in the mood to do whatever it is you want or need to do, and make sure that wherever you’re working can easily be changed to suit your needs.

Things you might want to take into account might be your work area and temperature. (That may not seem important at first, but once you spend a while in this area it will make a pretty big difference.)

“Provisions.”

As in, food and drink. The idea of being in the zone is that you can work for a while without needing to get up or otherwise disrupt your flow. Make sure you have enough water and food (if you prefer to eat while you work, or just in case). For this I prefer just water, as I usually eat something just before or just after I put all my focus into something.

Mood and Music.

I put these two together because I feel that they affect each other a whole lot. I find it easy to work past an unideal mood if I have the right music to do so; for me personally, it’s hard to work without music at all.

But the way we feel tends to affect how and what we write pretty heavily. I use Spotify for my music and what I listen to is often a mix. About half of the time it’s the playlists I have made for my projects (which I actually thought I would use way more often). When I don’t know what to listen to, these are usually my go-to’s:

Chill Instrumental Beats

Dear Evan Hansen Soundtrack

The Human Condition - Jon Bellion (album)

The Winter Soldier Soundtrack

80′s Smash Hits

Let’s... call that an eclectic music taste, but those are the things that I know work for me. (Right now, at least.) If you have an idea of what you want to write, though, Spotify is still really great. You could just search a single keyword and you’ll get tons of results, usually playlists made by other people.

There’s a whole section devoted (at least on the desktop version, sometimes on mobile) to playlists for different moods, and I find them immensely helpful. If music is your friend, I think Spotify will be too. (I feel like I should say this isn’t a promo because it’s not but that sounded really promo-y.)

Build a Habit.

Get yourself used to sitting down and writing. The more often you do it, the easier it will be to slip into a state of deep focus on whatever you want to work on. The zone is actually just a really cool name for extending and deepening your focus, and it’s pretty common knowledge at this point that focus is something you can constantly build and improve.

To everyone reading this or trying to scroll past, I’m sorry for any inconvenience the length of this post may have caused. Tumblr is still glitching out apostrophes when I try to insert a “Keep Reading” link.

So, these are all the things about getting in the zone that I’ve learned over the years; I hope this helps anyone who reads! If there’s anything you want to see me talk about in my next post, please don’t hesitate to leave a message in my ask or in my DM’s. Until next time, much love! <333

#writeblr #writing tips #writing advice #getting in the zone #the writing zone #focus #focus tips #focus advice #writing focus #the zone #focus on writing #write #writer #writing #author #authorblr

Hey, do you have any tips for writing a story the way you want it to be written? I usually have all of my character's personality and plot sorted out, but when I write I suddenly get this urge to change everything. How do I avoid that?

Okay, tough love moment: this sounds like a problem with commitment. Hey, I get it! Sometimes as you go through the writing process you find some points that don’t work as well as you thought they would, or realize that you have more room to expand on a point. But if it’s a problem that preventing you from writing the first draft at all, you have to stick with it and just go. There’s always going to be a thousand different ways you can take your story at every turn but hold on to which story you really want to tell and why you planned out the story the way that you did. Those urges to change everything could very well just be insecurities about your writing that you shouldn’t listen to. Just write. If you have to fix it, you can fix it later, but as I always say you have to have a first draft in order to have something to edit.

#ask #Writing Focus

Any tricks or tips to stick to a novel when you literally have the smallest attention span? (Help me c':)

I wrote a little bit about this in another post that you can look at.

Basically, you need to train yourself to think of writing as something serious even though it doesn’t feel like it sometimes. Set up a time to write and make that Writing Time so you’re not as tempted to brush it off and go do something else. It can also help to set a timer or a word count goal. Having a point to stop will make you feel like you need to stay focused at least as long as you have previously scheduled. I know some people also use apps that block certain websites like Twitter and YouTube for a predetermined amount of time to avoid that temptation, but personally, I just go full screen and that’s (usually) good for me. I also mention in that post that you may have trouble focusing because you haven’t outlined enough and so you’re not clear about where the story is going.

Try out a few different work environments, times, and methods to stay focused to find the one that works for you but I think the main thing is to sit your bum down and write.

#writing focus #writing tips #ask