We seem to be at a time when we expect everything should appear instantly. The internet and smart phones have made it seem like that all we need to do is type a few things and hit enter will bring what we want to us. Sadly, that is not the case. At least, not with writing.

If you ask any writer they will tell you that writing is hard. Thinking up an idea? That's the easy part. I can do that all day, every day. Actually making it a book? That's more in the way of blood, sweat, and tears. There is no button that will put your idea into a book for you. You have to sit down and write it. The process is painfully slow. You don't seems to see any sort of ending for a long time. This tends to breed frustration. Any writer can tell you that frustration can kill the desire to write fast. 

Once that frustrations starts creeping in it becomes harder to focus. You become easily distracted by anything and everything. Infomercials become the most fascinating things ever. Avoidance becomes the norm until you look up and you've discovered that you haven't worked on your story in years. This leads to a whole new wave of frustration. It's a viscous cycle that one needs to nip in the bud if they hope to see their books on a display self.   

One way to help is to talk to other people that have been their. It is pretty comforting to know that even those that are where you want to be have also had to deal with frustration. Suddenly, you don't feel so alone.

Another thing you can do is take a scheduled break. One where you mark a date for it to end. This way you don't turn around and find that you took a break from your project for two years. Been there and it's never fun realizing how fast time runs from you and it does run. 

A break might be necessary to get a better focus on what you want to write. Stepping back can be what you need. 

Then there are times that you just need to write through the frustrations. it sucks, but there are times that it just needs to be done. When that is the only option, I suggest a good music playlist with a nice beat to it and power through it. 

I have used the phrase "picking up the thread" for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure where I got it from. I strongly suspect that the stories about the Greek Fates or Moirai influenced this. 

What I mean when I use that  phrase is that I am trying to start back up with a story that I had left sitting for a period of time. We have all done it. For some reason we had to walk away  from a story and now we want to get back to it. Depending on how long it has been and how we are feeling about the project, going back to it can be hard, and you can't just abandon it. Well, you can, but if every writer did that when it became hard, we wouldn't have any books to enjoy. 

I usually try to pick up the thread by rereading what I have written. If that doesn't work, I either go back to what inspired the story in the first place and see if that helps. I also try and find music to help me get back into that mindset. If that doesn't help, I have one of two choices. The first is walking away from the story some more. It might not be time for focus on it yet. The other that I really hate doing and have only done it to one story and that it gutting it and revamping it. Yes, it is as painful as it sounds because you have to undo all the work you put in. The process isn't pretty. In the end it's about writing a story and sending it out into the world for others to enjoy. Writing is hard. If anyone tells you differently, they either never tried or are selling you something. 

What are some of the things you do to pick up the thread? Let me know. 

The hardest part of writing isn't trying to get ideas. I can think of six book ideas before breakfast. The hardest part is focusing on the idea and sticking with it. I should know. I've been writing on and off since 8th grade without completing a novel yet.

After making lots of detours through life, I'm now struck with the realization that I am actually almost done with one novel. The thought is sending me into a panic because now I have to pick my next project soon and start the process again only faster. Also, I have to accept that a project that I have been working on most of my adult life won't be apart of my day to day life anymore. It will be going out into the world to be enjoyed by others. (I wonder if this is how my mum felt when I moved out of the house. If so, I need to at least treat her to a nice lunch because this feeling sucks.)

I am having to ask the dreaded question...Now what? That is followed closely by 'Will I be able to complete another book?' and 'What if I'm just wasting my time because I'm writing crap?'. From what I can tell, these are normal worries for any creative person. So, that makes me feel better at least. Knowing that I'm not alone with these questions. 

The focusing I'm getting better with. After some false starts and misinformation I found my system. It involves many lists and alarms. I also use friends and family to remind me the goals I set for myself. It's not perfect, but I would still be stuck on page 30 if it wasn't for all of this. Still, there is a lot of room for improvement. Don't get me wrong. I still have moments of distractions. I probably always will. The important part is that I'm working on it and doing my best to keep focus on my writing projects. At least I'm not James Joyce freaking out for the whole day because I can't figure out in what order I should put six words together. So, I say I'm doing good. 

If you want to share your tips for keeping focus and on task, leave a comment.