Staying Focused as a Writer

"How do you stay focused on writing and stick to it?"

A lady recently asked me this question for her son. Sadly, I wasn't really able to give an answer at the time since there was too much going on, but it got me thinking so I figured I'd try to answer it here. Honestly, I've actually been encountering a few aspiring writers lately, as I tend to be painfully excitable during a creative marathon and just talk to literally anybody who would listen about how much fun I'm having writing. Haha! Maybe I should work on that, but I am who I am, and I genuinely adore the worlds and people I write about so... Let's start there.

Adoration. (TLDR: Ask yourself if you find joy in writing, or adore an aspect of it like world-creation or certain characters... if YES, use that to fuel you forward and keep your pursuit. If you're still unsure, keep journeying in life and learn as many things as you can! You'll discover yourself and your reasons as you go.)

I think this is the main reason I've continued being a writer, even through the multiple "downs" of my life that made it nearly impossible to complete a single work (note the length of time between self-publications and blog posts, for example). Life is a journey of discovery and collisions - discovering oneself while colliding paths with others who are doing the same. At our youngest, everything in life is available and shouting for our attentions, luring us with grand adventures and new perspectives. Part of maturity is picking out which voices appeal most to you, what lures have most value to you. You've realized how limited your time is, and recognize how long it took just to get to where you are - how many steps you've already made on your personal road. Suddenly you're more careful with your time and application - more purposeful.

So you unburden yourself from excess baggage: you break away from futile relationships, toss out old clothes, donate toys, and don't immediately pursue every ambition that pops into your head, closing an eye to whatever problems just can't be fixed by you right now...

Whatever is left in your hand - whatever you still cling to or keep pursuing whether intentionally or inadvertently - inspect it and decide if it edifies you. You're holding onto it for a reason. You keep returning to it. Does this thing bring you joy when you're engaged with it?

If the answer is "yes," focus on it properly.

If "no," it is likely hurting you and your ability to focus yourself or move forward. Let it go.

For me, even at my lowest points I was still writing - either in a journal to get my thoughts out and overcome a problem, or making lyrics to a song, or recording what I saw in my dreams. Maybe it wasn't every single day - I'd even go months without it - but then I'd be in so deep a depression that I'd turn to writing music or journaling because I knew I had to. It gave me peace. Whether intentionally or not, I was and would always be "a writer."

I also would always be a "creative" and a "visionary." When I was directing, I discovered it to be my absolute favorite job up to that point because I loved putting all the pieces together. Life taught me that my greatest joy was making a vision become a reality. It was a similar fulfillment I felt when acting - being able to give life to a written character and let them manifest in me. I really thought I'd continue to pursue film, and I still wish to one day honestly (make movies of my worlds?? eh? eh? Haha, one day, I do hope so), but I've decided to go all-in as a full-time writer because I already have so many worlds and visions within me that I delight to weave together for people to see!

Moreover, I don't have to wait on anyone else to join me (beyond an editor and agent), I can just single-handedly do this!

My second piece of advice is:

Take Yourself Seriously. (TLDR: Treat yourself like a business - and do everything to keep your mental health and morale up so that it's a productive one. If you find yourself wondering if there's any value in anything you've been working and if anyone would even read it anyway, cast that voice from you! It's NOT your soul's voice, your soul is the creative voice. So that negative voice is NOT WORTH YOUR TIME. Shut it up, because your voice has value.)

It's common knowledge at this point that creatives are their own worst enemy. An average creative's entire life is spent engaging in the emotional realm, and not necessarily because they want to but because they absolutely HAVE to in order to create any piece that would move someone else's heart. That's what storytelling is, after all. Stories reach the heart. They touch the soul. Like good music or delicious meals.

Creating in any form - be it dance, painting, game designing, novel-writing, song-writing, party hosting -sets up an atmosphere. And the creator with most acclaim is the one who gave their audience a reason to engage in their creation. A reason - that is... a story. The creator succeeded in impacting their audience's soul. They sucked them into their world - their atmosphere.

This is why it's so vital as a creative to stay around positive energy and encouraging atmospheres. Since we dwell in and work from the myriad of human emotions, we have a high vulnerability to them. This can be good in the case of uplifting words (just getting ONE person to write a comment and say "I liked that" can make my entire week and I get all hyper for the day XD Maybe I should feel ashamed but I'm not. I LOVE when people like what I make!). But if a negative word so much a breathes in our direction, we can get the full impact of it like a boulder to the gut.

A decent analogy might be to consider yourself a mage on a battlefield.

The knights have protective armor, so stones and arrows can bounce off or do minimal damage. But a mage is in light cloth for ease of movement and because casting their spells requires their entire body to easily feel the air, the ground, the flames...

In this analogy, it'd be great to have armored knights around you, shielding you - like in life, it's great to be around good friends. But they can't always protect you, since they are fighting their own battles too.

So what do you do?

You become a Shield Master. (YEAH!!)

You take time to learn whatever healing and shield techniques you can to guard yourself (personally, I use journalling, or re-reading my journal to remember times of victory or moments I was proud of - annnnd Linkin Park. I mean, some days just require that angry energy, you know? Get it out! Charge forward! CORRECT THE WORLD!).

And when you get hit with a negative arrow and can't get it out or get the wound to close on your own, you go to a healer - that is, a therapist! Great therapists are amazing healers and equippers to help you get back out there and be your true self - the person you always imagined yourself to be. If you can't find one, find someone wise that you trust like a parent or a religious leader like a rabi or pastor - someone who can connect you to the good in your spirit and remind you how incredible and worth every effort you are.

Then, having done everything to equip and steady yourself, go forward with determination and purpose. Focus on the other side of the battlefield - the land you are going to conquer. You are becoming a writer (or whatever career you decide to pursue). That land is yours! This is just a battle to get rid of anything that would say otherwise so you can properly build your castle there.

Moreover, you want to be productive, so be your own employee and expect yourself to show up.

Show up for your own ambitions. I cannot stress that enough.

... but I'll try.

SHOW UP FOR YOUR OWN AMBITIONS!!!

Doesn't it bother you when you get to work and, like, NO-one else is working so it all falls on you and less stuff gets done and you're like "dude, you were hired here just friggin' do the thing!" Well, you should feel that same irritation at yourself. Not to the point of condemnation, but just enough to get you to *siiiigh okayyy i'm getting out of bed and i'm gonna get this dang chapter done today* (lol).

Set goals for yourself. Meet those goals.

But also never condemn yourself into negativity if you find you really need a rest moment. If you want to get out of a guilt-trip for resting, just write yourself a pass:

"I allow myself to take today off, play a video game, read a manga, and watch youtube videos, on the condition that I turn it off by no-later-than 1am and get myself up tomorrow by 9:30 to write out the details of the next chapter"

for example.

Hey. Life is FUN! If you're not able to chill sometimes, you're taking it too seriously. It'll affect your work.

So that's my last piece of advice:

Love yourself. (TLDR: Love yourself.)

Because what you express in your story reflects a piece of you. If you don't love *you* then you won't love your work. And that's like... like not loving a little baby. There's so much potential in that baby of yours.

Do everything you can to be a good parent for your vision, then believe in that vision and let it grow.

HAHA Okay that's it.

This has been "Unintentional Philosophy with The Chronicler!" Hope you got something from it.

Thanks for reading! XD

And remember to never lose your wonder.