Distractions are everywhere and there is study after study lamenting the woes of waning attention spans. But you’re a writer and you’re working on your manuscript, so you can’t afford to be distracted unnecessarily.
Except that all your “distractions” can’t really be counted as distractions, right? I mean, they’re legitimate reasons you can’t work on your manuscript right now.
Your boss needs these documents ASAP. Your friend’s birthday party is a significant event you can’t miss at all. You’re exhausted after such a long day at work and you absolutely need your rest. Besides, you’ve got a new topic and focus to explore, so you’ll have to table this current bit of writing to make sure you’re working on the best idea. It makes sense to not be writing and to continue researching and figuring out what you really want to write.
Any of those sound familiar to you? I’ve been there with all of them…and many more. Those statements, and others like them, reflect the fact that life happens around us all the time and we have other commitments besides our writing to get done.
Am I saying that because you decided to write a book you have to blow off your friend’s birthday party to be writing instead? Of course not, but if you keep focusing on everything else besides your writing, then guess what? Writing will not get done.
Then there’s the obsession with research and the “better ideas” that keep coming at us. Sometimes it feels like as soon as we get settled into a concept or direction, a newer and more exciting idea comes along.
Have you ever heard of “shiny new thing syndrome”? Some people call it “Shiny Object Syndrome” and it’s not really coincidental that the acronym spells SOS.
For many writers, when we get started on a project, we are completely and thoroughly motivated by the excitement of the ideas we’re writing about. Exploring a subject matter feels fresh and scenes almost write themselves. But any book beyond a couple pages soon turns into a laborious process as we slug away, creating worlds or explaining concepts.
When details have to be checked and rationalized, and when the writing project isn’t so new anymore, motivation often wanes and writing slows down. Many times, it slows down to a complete stop, and we lose momentum with our writing.
Then something else pops up, looking exciting and we feel motivated to pay attention to that other thing. Somewhere at the back of our minds we tell ourselves that the book could wait a few minutes and we move on “temporarily” to something else.
Then that thing loses its shine and another new and shinier thing pops up. And the cycle repeats itself.
This is where discipline comes in.
Truth be told, motivation is overrated. It’s great for getting started, but it’s not what will keep you going and certainly not the thing that will help you finish. The problem with motivation is that it depends on stimulus or inspiration – remember that word from Lie #2?
Motivation is a feeling that’s described as “enthusiasm for doing something”. That enthusiasm is what gives reason and purpose to actions. It stirs something within us that rallies our energy to keep legs moving, concentration going, and fingers writing away.
But it’s not a permanent state. It ebbs and flows, which is not a recipe for success.
And what happens when it ebbs? We lose focus. We get discouraged. We lose momentum.
…and we try desperately to find something that motivates us again when what we really need is discipline to continue going when the motivation fades.
Discipline is all about control, about order, and about keeping at it even when you don’t feel like keeping at it. Discipline is where art meets science when it comes to writing. When we have discipline with our writing, we move with intention and we’re able to create writing schedules and keep on writing even when there’s no inspiration or motivation.
Discipline also helps us with the distractions and the shiny new things that threaten to interrupt our writing because with discipline we can put systems and structures in place to deal with challenges. With discipline we will build and maintain healthy habits.
With discipline we create the framework for success.
So don’t allow distractions to get you into the mindset that your writing can wait. Work on establishing a disciplined approach so that you can complete your manuscript and get published.
Motivation and inspiration are great starting points, but remember, it’s discipline that really gets you to where you need to be.
And, as always, happy writing.
