Creative Writing Tips: Top 20 Distractions & Excuses Keeping You From Writing

People often cite the extreme amount of distractions in their lives that keep them from working on their writing or creative projects. They also like to cling to the excuses that have blocked their creative outlets for years. This creative writing tips article will provide possible solutions to 20 common distractions or excuses. That way, if you’re not writing, you can say, “I choose not to solve these problems,” instead of blaming the problems themselves. Acceptance is the first step, right? 🙂

1. My phone keeps ringing with calls or texts.

Turn it off or be dramatic and take out the battery. Believe it or not, the world will go on without you being available for a while. If you don’t believe me, try it for ten minutes and see if Earth is still here. If so, try adding at that point little by little. If not, wow, you are really important!

2. People keep instant messaging me.

Quit the offending program or uninstall the damn thing. I uninstalled AOL Instant Messenger about two years ago and since then my life has been much more productive. If you’re worried about missing a message from a specific person, just tell them you’ll be busy for an hour doing something interesting.

3. My house, coffee shop, basement, attic, or street is too noisy.

Write somewhere different? It is not very difficult to find a quiet place if you are willing to leave the problem area. Local libraries, bookstores, or quiet, secluded restaurants work for me when I crave silence. If you need to stay in your loudest place, earplugs are a cheap solution and noise-cancelling headphones are a bit more expensive. And lastly, a bath is always a good last resort.

4. I am too nervous or nervous to write!!!

Wow, calm down. First, read my article about giving up coffee :). Second, think for a second instead of giving up writing. Earlier in her life, when she has needed to calm down or relax, what has she done? Read a book? Did you listen to Frank Sinatra? Established for a few? Try what works for you and then write again. It will probably be much easier to get started.

5. I keep feeling the need to check my email, traffic stats, soccer scores, etc. in the computer.

Turn it off, unplug it, or leave the house. Challenge yourself to keep it as long as you can. Without a computer, how will you write? Go old school and break out the pad of paper and a pencil.

6. My computer is broken, too slow, or in use.

See the pad of paper tip in #5. If you must use a computer, ask a friend or find an Internet cafe.

7. My favorite TV show or movie is on.

Turn it off, unplug it, or leave the house. These days, almost every popular TV show will be online the next day. Also, if you have a TiVo or a DVR, the problem is solved. This is your time to write, don’t let CBS tell you otherwise. If it’s your favorite movie, find a way to burn it or buy the DVD. Many of these solutions will involve sacrificing your immediate pleasure for your ultimate satisfaction. Trust me when I say this: TV is less important than you.

8. I am too tired to write.

Get up and go for a walk, do some stretching, eat an apple and some raw almonds. Put on some upbeat music and do a little dance. If none of that works, write standing up. It is difficult to fall asleep standing up. Just don’t pop a pill or drink a Red Bull. It will work in the short term and it will hurt in the long term. Also, assess what time of day you are strongest. Write at that time.

9. I am too hungry to write.

Get your laptop or pen and paper out of the house and stop by for a nice coffee to write. If you take the time to prepare a five-course meal at home, you may lose the urge to write when you’re done gorging yourself. Let someone else do the work for you and write while they do it.

10. I have to go to work in an hour.

Leave now! Arrive early and write when you arrive. Heck, if you take public transportation, write on the go. Just because you don’t have a lot of time to write doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. Just make a little progress. And when you leave home, you have to eliminate various distractions right there.

11. I have time, but I don’t feel motivated.

Browse this site for twenty minutes! That’s what it’s for 🙂

A quick tip: think about how great you’ll feel when you’ve finished the piece you’re working on. That is the basic law of attraction.

12. I don’t know how I’m supposed to do the next chapter, story, passage, or scene.

Only write. He writes the first thing that comes to mind. Don’t judge it. Just do it! If you need certain information, collect the research and then write. There is no way you have to do a particular thing, you just have to do it. So make it happen.

13. My dog/cat/bird needs to go for a walk.

Why not take your dog/cat/bird to a dog/cat/bird park with your trusty book in hand? If not, use taking your pet out as an excuse to get out of the house to work. When you get home, just drop off your pet and head to the local coffee shop or your favorite place to write. I’m sure he or she will understand :).

14. I told my boss, my friend, my landlady, my spouse, etc. would do something for them.

Now you can delete the old instant message, text message, or phone call and tell the person in question that you can’t work on their project. This is not a lie! You have an important project to work on by yourself. If you’re motivated, have an idea, and haven’t started yet, you need to get out of your previous commitment.

If you can’t reschedule, do it. If you can’t reschedule, try delegating. If you can’t do either, put it off for an hour or two and start writing. Your writing is important. The sooner you start passing that on to people who “request” your time, you may just find that you spend more time writing naturally.

15. I am too overwhelmed by sadness, grief, anger, or any other powerful emotion to write.

Perfect! use it Being overwhelmed with emotion is a great situation to be in as a writer. There is a lot of raw energy that you can mine and extract from it whatever you want.

Try to convince yourself that putting this emotion on the page will be great for your writing. If that seems impossible, find a friend who understands your desire to channel your feelings into the written word. We will call this friend a writing partner.

I was my friend Adam’s writing partner during a difficult breakup. I was devastated. He couldn’t eat or sleep, but I forced him to write. The result was a one-person show that is currently being adapted into a feature film. Putting real feeling into your work can take you a long way. Some obstacles are not obstacles at all.

16. I want to write, I just don’t feel like it’s good.

Test it. Show me you’re not a good writer. I can show you evidence of the cracks in my armor. I got a C in a poetry class, a fiction teacher told me I shouldn’t write fiction, and a newspaper review mentioned me saying I co-wrote a “lemon” of a screenplay. And yet I kept going. Why? How?

I still have to make my big contribution. I can feel that there is still something I can write that will mean something or last. Maybe it’s this website and maybe it’s not. I only know I’m getting close because I still want to write.

If you want to write, then you must write. If you feel like you don’t have any talent but still want to write, then there must be a reason. If you don’t write, you’ll never find that reason. If you have yet to test the waters, you might as well jump in. Talent and perceived talent are only a small part of the pie. So I say, dig, write and see what happens. You know, before making another metaphor :).

17. I don’t know how to write.

Take your favorite book or play and open it to your most specific passage or scene. Write something in the style of that scene. With the same characters or own creations. When you’re done, read it out loud and risk anything that sounds weird. Now repeat the same process with another scene. Keep doing this until you feel comfortable starting from scratch. If you’re interested in nonfiction, do the same with a similar nonfiction work. And then you are a writer. Start putting it on your business cards :).

18. I work so hard! There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

2 options

Option 1 – Turn one of your papers into something that allows you to write. Working in a library or as a receptionist in a less busy office can make this possible. Also, finding something more passive like a website or some kind of investment can free up some time to write.

Option 2 – Sleep less.

I started option two about a year ago and option one a couple of months ago. They both have their positive and negative traits. Option two has been more effective personally, and both work best only if you have solid goals behind them. I know that sacrificing sleep is bad for your health, but I plan to improve this aspect of my life in the future.

Making time to write often requires a sacrifice. What’s it gonna be?

19. I have no ideas.

There are tons of free creative writing prompts on the internet. Several are on my website if you happen to go there.

20. I have so much to say that I can’t say it all at once!

Start small. Just write a paragraph. Or write an outline. Don’t let your wealth of ideas stop you. You have the best kind of problem. I just know that any job takes time.

But if it is absolutely necessary to get it all out, take a day off from work, go to a cafe and bring a lot of paper :). I once wrote a script in a day because I felt like it had to get out of my head. Why fight? Start writing!

In conclusion

Please, please, please write. Don’t let anything get in your way. If you get stuck, check back here and I’ll try to help. happy writing.

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