How to Stay Focused and Actually Write: A Spellbook for Distracted Writers

I often talk about flow in my posts, that magical state when you’re so absorbed in the story you’re writing that you forget about the one taking place around you. When the scenes flow, characters come to life, and your mundane life evaporates.

For a lot of us, this is the reason we got into writing fiction (and fantasy in particular) in the first place—to leave reality, even if for a while, in favor of a magical world of our own design.

But flow comes with time. It can take a few minutes or a few hours of work, of actually sitting down and writing undisturbed, before you can lose yourself in your work. We don’t know exactly where the fine line between continuously writing and getting into the flow lies, but one thing is for certain—you won’t tap into it if you let distractions keep pulling you away.

And it’s hard not to succumb to distractions.

You might be sitting by your laptop, not sure what to write next, and the thought of researching an idea or finding a source of inspiration can sidetrack you for hours. You might even be in the flow when your phone pings you with the latest, likely irrelevant notification.

Sometimes we secretly want to get distracted. It’s easier than being stuck, not knowing what to write next. It’s our natural response to nagging thoughts and questions about our book and its potential path to glory.

But as I mentioned in my last blog post, to be able to finish writing your novel, you must build a habit and make switching into the flow a natural, automatic process.

Even the Best Wizards Can’t Cast Spells for Hours

In today’s society, with so much information, notifications, and noise around us, most of us have forgotten how to stay focused. And that’s okay—it’s a skill you can acquire.

The key is starting small.

Writing is like casting a spell—it requires concentration. And just like a young wizard, on their path to becoming a renowned mage, the craft begins with short bursts of concentration. Even the greatest of mages can’t cast spells for hours on end without pause, and the same is true for writers.

Concentration is like a muscle, and just like you wouldn’t start with a two-hour workout of heavy lifting if you’ve never worked out in your life, you also shouldn’t attempt to write for hours without pause on your first attempt.

What you need to focus on is creating a schedule—a habit of short bursts of concentration, which you can gradually lengthen over time.

To be able to start, you need to find the answers to the following mysteries:

1. When are you most focused?

This is where you will have to do some trial and error and watch for patterns. When are you at your best? In the morning before real-world responsibilities kick in? In the evening when they’re done? Late at night when everyone else in your household has gone to bed?

You don’t need to write in the morning if you’re not a morning person, nor should you force yourself to stay up late after a long and tiring day. Identify the time that works best for you. Otherwise, you’ll spend a lot of time accomplishing mediocre (at best) work.

2. When are you least likely to be disturbed? 

Now, this might clash with the time when you feel you’re at the peak of your performance, but if you experience a lot of distractions during your day, this might be your best solution.

Think of all the roles you play throughout the day—employee, student, parent, child, partner—and identify the window of time when you are needed by as few people as possible so that you can invest it in your writing.

3. What should be your starting point?

This is where you have to stretch the bow, but not so much that it might snap. Consider your limitations, responsibilities, and schedule, and ask yourself what is the amount of time you can invest on a regular basis.

If you’re thinking of two hours, you might find yourself falling off the wagon shortly. At the same time, if you’re only willing to commit to five minutes, it might be many years before you’ll ever get to a first draft.

Challenge yourself, but in a realistic way. Whether it’s fifteen minutes, thirty, or an hour, find the window of time you know you’ll be able to invest consistently and choose that.

Once you have the answers to those questions in place, you can get to work.

Spells for Writers

Identifying the time and the length of your writing window is a great start, but it isn’t enough. You’ll also need to cast two spells: Silence, and Invisibility.

You’ll need to cast the Silence spell on that magical rectangle in your hand.

One of the best things I did for focus—and mental health in general—was to turn off notifications on all applications and websites. Picking up the phone needs to be an active decision on my part when I am ready to be updated, not a response to the phone tapping me on the shoulder.

But if you can’t, or don’t wish to go that far, start by turning off or silencing your phone only for the duration of your writing window. This is your time, and that little device in your hand shouldn’t decide for you where your focus goes.

Next, you’ll need to cast Invisibility. In order to do that, find an area where you’re least likely to be disturbed.

If you’re at work, college, or university, find a quiet office or space in the library, since sitting down to write in the cafeteria is an open invitation for disruptions.

If you’re at home, lock yourself in a room, the basement, or find a quiet corner. If there are people around you—talk to them in advance, explain what you wish to accomplish, and ask for their support in the form of not bothering you for that duration of time.

If my husband and I are working from home on the same day, we have an unwritten rule that if the office door is closed, we’re likely in a call or otherwise busy, and shouldn’t be disturbed (unless it’s to receive a lovingly made cup of coffee). You can use another way to notify those around you that you are not to be bothered, and ask them to cooperate.

After these spells are cast, comes the final and most challenging step—committing to your newly defined routine.

You might need to make adjustments at first or experiment until you find the setting and time that works best for you, but you have to start creating consistency.

It might be difficult at first, but it will get easier after a while, and once you’ve managed to concentrate and write for fifteen minutes a day for an entire month, you can start extending that window.

Conclusion

Writing is about picking one battle and focusing on that first, and the first and most challenging battle is against the invisible dragons of distraction.

Start small, create a habit, and they will be out of your hair before you even get your sword dirty!

Now close this tab (though if you found this article helpful, consider subscribing) and get to writing!