Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Working with kids and distractions, part one:

Writers around the world deal with either kids, distractions in the home, distractions at the office, or a combination of all three. These tips won’t all work for you, but they might help reduce your stress levels from “crazy” down to “only slightly deranged.”

Try a timer.

Some writers set a timer, and the kids and spouse know that until that puppy goes off, DON'T BOTHER THE WRITER. This can give you a few minutes of uninterrupted time, while the kids don't feel neglected because they're just waiting for the timer to go off so they can bombard you.

Learn to write despite the ruckus.

Some writers have actively trained themselves how to tune out the noise and bustle and write in the midst of screaming kids. If you think you'd like to try this out, first go in small steps:

1) Take a timer and set it for 10 minutes. Plop yourself in the middle of whatever domestic chaos-field you own and try writing. Once the timer goes off, you're done. Don't try to go for longer.

2) Try this every day. Increase time increments each time, or each week, whichever you're most comfortable with.

This incremental method will allow your brain to slowly adjust to the noise levels, and learn how to focus and concentrate despite them. This is something I learned from my martial arts classes: the brain's ability to focus CAN be learned, but slowly.

You can't jump into a new concentration exercise and expect to immediately be able to narrow your focus--it takes more brainpower than you realize. However, slow training over several days or weeks can allow the brain to sharpen focus despite distractions.

Once you've learned to write despite the noise around you, still make an effort to take a break once a week and go to a coffee shop, or out onto the porch, or to the park. This will help your mind rest and refresh you for more focused writing.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.