How To Focus On Writing

Sometimes writing can make us want to pull out all of our hair and slam our head against the desk. After all, we spend hours a day with fictional characters who have a lot of problems.

So how do we do it? Sit down, and write over 40,000 words for our novels? Well, it isn’t easy. I say that from experience. However, here are 3 tips that have helped me focus!

 

1. Instrumental music. I am a huge sucker for movie scores. I have over 1000 in my iTunes library and I still want more. Not only does this music help me focus, it helps me set a mood. If I’m writing an action scene, I bring out the epic soundtrack. If I’m writing a death scene, I may listen to some soft piano music. Either way, music helps me concentrate, sets the mood, and it’s inspiring. Some composers I’d recommend are, Two Steps From Hell, James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, Thomas Newman, Abel Korzeniowski, and Steve Jablonsky to name a few.

 

2. A trip to Starbucks. Sometimes it is helpful to get away from your screaming children/family to have some alone time. The change of scene may even inspire you!

 

3. Act out the scene. Weird, I know, but it really does help get a flow for the dialogue and your story. Plus you’re not going to just stand around awkwardly, so it forces you to come up with things to say or do. If you want to make it even more fun, have your family get in on it and have them act out the sub-characters.

 

The fact that you’re reading this now, shows that your heart is in the right place. Now all you have to do is FOCUS!