Stephen King is a prolific and highly successful writer. One writing tip that he gives us is to avoid distraction. He says -
“TV---while working out or anywhere else---really is about the last thing an aspiring writer needs.”
“There’s should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or videogames for you to fool around with.”
Distractions of any kind do not help the creative process. You may find that you think best about your writing and your ideas in certain situations. Tracey Jones, one of our creative writing tutors finds that she thinks best about her writing when she is sitting on a train, a passenger in a car or sitting alone in a coffee shop. In those situations, there are people around, but there is little distraction to your creative processes.
If you would like to be a writer, but struggle to find the time to be a writer, perhaps it isn't about finding the time, but finding the time when you can be free from distraction.
So what can you do –
- Choose a place where you feel more creative. This doesn't have to be one place. It could be several places – a coffee shop, your bus commute to work, your settee in the evening, an early morning work.
- Turn off your phone or tablet or anything else that distracts you. You may like to write on your computer, but avoid looking at emails, playing games, looking at social media and so on.
- If you find this hard, why not set yourself a time limit. “I will write for x minutes, then I will spend 5 minutes looking at social media/emails/playing a game.”
- Even try shutting the door. Sit in a room and just close the door. People are less likely to disturb you.
- Early mornings and late evenings are often a good time to write as people are less likely to interrupt or distract you.
Don’t think, I want to be a writer. Think I am a writer and get started.
If you are struggling to find the inspiration to write, why not take a short course in Creative Writing to get you started –
Creative Writing – 20 hour short course
Or why not have a look at our ebooks on creative writing.
Any questions? Please contact us on 01384 442752 or send us a message.