Creating Focus and Change

Two days before the New Year 2018. Social Media is ablaze with posts about trends, changes, resolutions. Friends and Strangers speak of what they will do differently.

Writers pledge to be better writers. Pledge to become the change they wish to see in themselves–the ones who write every day, who submit their work regularly, who stick to a plan for being published.

So much anticipation.

I am such a writer.

The longer I am away from writing, the longer it takes for me to get back into a routine, which I used to think was for physical exercise alone. No, for me, it’s for writing as well.

The key is how do I switch back into daily writing, especially when it’s been over a month (since Thanksgiving) when I wrote anything for myself?

Find a Focal Point

I am not inclined to write well in a space with moving distractions. A cafe doesn’t work. I am too fascinated with the lady in the stiletto boots ordering a giant hot chocolate and chocolate croissant. Time slips by as I imagine a story for her life and disregard the lives I’m creating in my own stories.

What works better for me is the view outside my window, one of mainly overgrown shrubs, gnarly cedars and a moss-ridden lawn. Today, over three inches of snow cover the neighborhood and the freezing temps keep most walkers inside.

The social media temptations are put aside. The window blinds go completely up. I begin by staring out the window then I open up my computer. When I get stuck, I stare out the window again in search of a word or image that always brings me back to my paper notebook or computer screen.

I can see why many artists prefer nightfall. The windows are dark. The outside is quieter. Distractions are minimal. My window is black now. That works, too.

Is It Change or Rerouting?

I know how good it feels when I work on a story everyday. When the blog posts are more regular. It feels very good.

Today is the day I return to my focus. To my window when I need to look up from my work. Back to my page when I must apply what I’ve created in thought and put down into words.

Is it a change? Maybe it’s more of a rerouting.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change we seek.”

~Barak Obama