We all want to write and have our work published and appreciated. We can see it happening. That’s the easy part. The hard part is getting the work done. That’s where this post comes in. In the article, you can follow these tips to help you concentrate when writing and get the best story written you can. From word count and web blocking to music and poetry, I have several ways for you to concentrate when sitting down to write.
Find the Time to Concentrate
Most writers are not full-time, meaning that they have other jobs to pay their bills and then write on the side. Because it might not be the main priority and you likely have loads of other responsibilities, like household chores or even a second job to help make ends meet, finding the time to write is the number one challenge you must defeat.
The first goal is to realize how many hours in a day you are busy with your other responsibilities. Then, work to write around them. For example, if you typically begin your day by waking up at 6 a.m., then I suggest you wake up at 5 a.m. instead. It will take a few days to get used to, but you can have that extra hour to write in the morning. And once you develop a routine, you won’t even notice waking up an hour earlier is even a problem.
I only use the mornings to lightly edit what I had previously written the night before and read the next chapter of a book. In the morning, my brain isn’t ready to tell a story. It needs time to charge and gather ideas. That’s why I write in the evening. I set aside a few hours each night and write until I reach my word count. That schedule works for me. However, if you find writing early each morning works for you, then I say go for it. There aren’t any rules to this thing—only suggestions and guidelines.
A Place to Concentrate
I can’t stress how important this tip is. For the best concentration possible, I suggest you go to a part of your house that you only use for writing/reading and nothing else. If you write in the kitchen or bed or on the couch or in a recliner, you will tend to slip out of the writing workflow and start daydreaming about food or falling asleep or worrying about work, or a million other things. The setting is very important.
Some writers like to use a coffee shop. They might find great dialogue that way by eavesdropping on other people. Maybe that busy atmosphere helps them concentrate somehow. I don’t know. That’s not my style. I need total quietness when I write. If a dog is barking next door or a car is bumping loud music for too long I will put on my headphones to block out the noise. I need peace to concentrate. But that’s just me. What about you?
Music to Concentrate
The element of noise brings me to the next tip—music. Most times I write, I have some type of Classical music or ambiance playing softly in the background. Sometimes, I write without music, but most times it will be a faint melody of a movie soundtrack, like Edward Scissorhands or Raiders of the Lost Ark. Also, depending on what type of scene I am writing at that moment, I will seek that genre of music to hear while I write. It helps set the mood.
The key here is to have no music with words playing as you write. I have tried that several times and I think it is almost impossible to concentrate. The song lyrics scramble the mind’s focus and will have you thinking about other topics when you shouldn’t be. If you do decide to use music when you write, don’t use songs with lyrics.
No Food, No Drink
It might seem harmless to have a cup of coffee by your side when you write. You might think it will keep the momentum going. And maybe for you, it does. But not me. It distracts me. Knowing that a hot cup of coffee is growing colder by my side only makes me want to drink it. This will throw me out of my concentration. My suggestion for you is to have only a bottle of water or something without any delicious taste to it that will nag you and break your concentration. Or you can try not even having any drink near you while you write.
Food should go without saying. Food is more of a temptation than a drink. Keep food away from your writing area. I don’t care whether it’s chips or pizza or yogurt. Keep it all away. Food is a major distraction. And the heavier the food is, it will likely make you grow tired while you write. That is not good. You want to be focused. I would suggest not having any food before writing for that very purpose, too. Use food and drink as a reward for when you are done writing.
Word Count
Keeping a steady goal of a word count is mandatory. Granted, if all you can do is a sentence or two, it is still good, I guess. But not really. By not hitting your daily goal it breeds laziness. The next day you won’t be as ambitious to hit that goal because you slacked the day before. You should maintain a steady word count goal each time you sit down to write. I know that sounds very demanding, but do you want to finish writing your novel or not? The sooner you can get the first draft down, the sooner you can go back and do some editing.
Some full-time authors have daily word counts reaching near 3,000 words. If you can manage that, then I say go for it. Me, I set a goal of 1,000 words per day. It takes me about an hour or so to reach the limit. Anything less than that, I make myself add to the word count the next day. Whatever the word count is you give yourself, I advise you to stick with it. It will make you feel like you are accomplishing a major task by never quitting.
Read Beforehand to Enhance Concentration
It doesn’t have to be an entire chapter of a novel to give you ambition. But, if you can manage a few pages of a good book or a few poems just before you start writing, I think your writing will benefit from it. By reading some quick storytelling it can help you map out your plot or at the very least, give you a better direction of where you can take your story. And by reading poetry, it will focus your prose—your voice—when you write. The gorgeous language of poetry is something every writer should try to achieve during their novel. Especially for descriptions of landscapes or characters or deep, introspective moments of a character, poetry can truly enhance the moment.
Keep a Notepad for Concentration
I always have a notepad, pen, and an open Microsoft Word document when I am writing. In case I need to recall certain moments in my story for later on, I will quickly jot them down or use a specific color in my doc. I am constantly doing this. It helps me keep track of little ideas that might help me later on during the editing process.
Hide the Phone
Technology is a disaster for any author’s writing process. The phone is more disruptive than the Internet because you can quickly scroll and text and watch a video. And before you know it, you spent 20 minutes watching a dumbass video on Instagram instead of writing your novel.
If you want to take the writing seriously, then I suggest you place your phone on silent and in a different room. Even if the phone is on silent mode you may still be tempted to grab it. But if it’s in a different room and you have to walk to get it, the chances are you probably won’t do it, which is a good thing. Leave the phone alone. Don’t think about it at all if you are writing. I know it is difficult at first, but after a while, you won’t even miss it.
Web Blocker Apps for Concentration
If you find yourself easily distracted by surfing the Internet when you should be writing, then think about getting a web blocker extension. You can find several here. These extensions are made specifically for this purpose. It is difficult enough to manage the time to write without getting distracted. It is so easy to just enjoy YouTube or scroll Facebook. Within a second your entire writing time has been destroyed because you chose to post memes. This happens all the time. Don’t let it stop you from completing your novel.
Review the Last Pages
Getting back in the swing of things can sometimes be tough. Even if you have music playing, have read poetry, and no access to the web, it still might be hard for you to envelope yourself in the writing moment. If this happens, then go back 5 pages you have previously written and read them over again. You can edit them, too. Doing so will help you get back the momentum to write.
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