How to Find Focus to Write (or Revise)

Three ways to focus your mind and get that manuscript done already.

I’m still in San Diego, helping my oldest daughter settle into a new apartment and enjoying some California sun. Not that the sun isn’t shining at home. But the change of scenery has been great for my health and productivity.

Why?

I have no idea. Maybe it’s the walks I take every day, allowing my mind to wander while I listen to music. Aren’t we writers professional daydreamers after all?

These last couple of weeks, I wrote a short story for an anthology. I revised about 90 percent of that middle-grade mystery I’ve been trying to wrangle into submission. Consider it wrangled.

The beach. It was nice.

So, productivity has been good. And during one of my walks, I was contemplating focus. Because that’s what we’re really talking about here. It’s hard to focus a creative brain.

And you often don’t want focus. A creative brain gets its best ideas from seeing ALL the possibilities. We are daydreamers, scattered brained creatives who are always looking to catch a good idea, pick up an interesting bit of conversation, be inspired by a fascinating setting.

But to revise, I needed to focus. It can be really hard to find it sometimes. Here are a few things that worked for me; maybe they can help you:

1.        Sprint, don’t run.

I (still) find that the best way is to work in short sprints. Every day, I worked for about 20-30 minutes at a time, outrunning my inner critic (she’s kind of slow because she wears heels and eats a lot of donuts).

2.        Outline the scene, not the novel.

When you look at a WHOLE NOVEL it can be really intimidating to sit down to revise or write. Tens of thousands of words—how do you even untangle that? What works for me is to visualize the scene or moment, not the whole enchilada. What’s happening to the character(s) and why? When I hyper-focus on just the one building block, it’s easier to build the house. And shorter scenes also fit better in those short sprints.

3.        Write every day.

Even if I just write or revise a paragraph, I write every day. It worked when I was knocking out the first draft and it worked for this revision. The habit of opening my computer and entering the world I built, every day, took away the threshold of creating. I wasn’t procrastinating anymore. Revision became as routine as going for a walk or brushing my teeth every day.

On my walk. The people here are nice.

Also, it helps to change the scenery. And you don’t have to go all the way to California like I did (though it is very nice here). Sit in a different part of your house, go outside, or park it at the library or a coffee shop. You might surprise yourself.

I needed to be away from home and all its trappings (chores, DIY, adulting nonsense) to find a good rhythm and edit this manuscript. And I needed to be kind to myself. Ten minutes of editing? Awesome! Thirty minutes? Woohoo! I did not eat cake every time, though. That would be bad for my health…

I’m about to head home again, but I’m determined to not lose this focus I found. If you are writing or revising, I hope you find your rhythm too.

What I’m Writing

Well, you just heard plenty about what I’m working on. I also took a detour to write a short crime fiction story; I hope to polish and send it off soon.

Where I’m Going

Home and recharged, again. October looks to be full of events, see below:

Oct. 4th 2024: Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy Conference   (CLELCON24)  

                         Presenting: Five Ways to Reach the Reluctant Reader (virtual event)                       

​Oct. 10th, 2024: In conversation with Mark Oshiro, author of Jasmine is Haunted​
                           The Bookies Bookstore  Denver, CO

Oct. 21-25, 2024: Special author visit event, Round Rock, TX (limited event)

Oct. 29, 2024:    SCBWI YA Connect -Author & Agent panel/ Q&A. Location TBA

Mar. 16-19, 2025: Left Coast Crime Denver, CO

I hope to see you there!

Free Bookplates

As we roll into October and toward Halloween, I thought it’s a good time to remind everyone that I’m always happy to send a note, signed bookplate, and bookmark(s) to anyone who has bought Daybreak on Raven Island or Midnight at the Barclay Hotel. Just shoot me a message!

Your Weekly Floof

Reports from the homefront are that Floof is mad.

She would like me to know that she would also like a trip to California…