Alberta Romance Writers' Association (ARWA)

223 - 12 Ave. SW

Calgary, Alberta

T2R 0G9

altaromwtr@hotmail.com

Sometimes it's really tough to sit down at our computer and stay there and write - with so many distractions all around.

Maybe if we're a bit more creative in our approach, however, we can stick-it-out better. Here are a few things I've tried... and a few more that I've meant to try... and will one day soon...

1. Decide to stay in your room for a certain amount of time. Then make it fun. String some of that plastic yellow tape used at construction sites across your doorway. Add a sign "Closed until 2:00" or whenever you decide. Then set your alarm clock, just as you would before going to sleep. When it rings, it's time to wake up, uummmm... I mean rise up from your writing chair.

2. Bring your favorite glass or mug to your desk, along with a large jug of water or a steaming pot of tea or coffee. Then whenever you're thirsty you can just pour another cup right in your office... no need make a trip all the way to the kitchen and risk being distracted along the way. 

3. Choose a group of CDs and listen to music as you write. Put on some easy listening for the dreamy romantic scenes, or a lively overture when your characters are going through some heated moments. Whatever music inspires you most, maybe country, rock, hip hop, jazz...

4. Get out your Daytimer (or Blackberry if you're into the digital stuff) and schedule a meeting for your writing. Then treat it as you would any other meeting - you wouldn't be late, would you, or skip out half way through?

5. Take a book out of the library by your favorite author and put it on your coffee table with a yellow sticky, "Do not read until 4:15." Then go and write your heart out.

6. Buy a box of gold-star stickers, and paste one on your grocery list for every page that you complete. Then decide what the rewards are for 5 stars, 10 stars, etc. Maybe 25 stars = a slice of your favorite pizza from the deli section or a non-fat grande latte at Starbucks.

7. Keep a daily journal at your desk, and log in and out to see how many hours a week you're actually writing. No more, "Wow, I probably spent three hours writing yesterday," when it was actually less than two, with time out for a phone call to your aunt.

8. Get up in the morning and wash your face but don't have a shower yet. Decide how many pages you'll write before rewarding yourself with a soak in the tub.

9. At the end of every hour (or whatever goal you've set), take 5 minutes to stand up and stretch. Do some deep breathing, some facial exercises; close your eyes and do clockwork circles, then counterclockwise, whatever works for you. Just take a short break to get the creative juices flowing once more.

10. Arrange a meeting with another writer friend or a critique group, and promise to exchange "xx" number of pages. This way you've got a concrete deadline, and someone who'll hold you to it.

11. Close down Outlook completely—don’t just minimize it. That way you won’t see the pop up every time another email comes in and be tempted to stop and read the latest joke.

12. Set a timer for half an hour, then when it goes off reset for another half hour. This way, you’ll can count down the intervals and be aware of a time frame. But leave your watch outside—you don’t want to be checking every few minutes, rather you want to know that you’ve been working for ½ hour straight.

13. Lay out a snack on the kitchen counter and spend a couple of minutes feasting on it with your eyes only. Then set a goal of “xx” minutes or “xx” pages and head to your office. Sit down at your computer and write, and don’t leave the room until you’ve met your goal. Now it’s time to treat yourself—you’ve worked hard and you deserve it!

Caution: This works great for me unless it’s a bag of chips (I looooove chips), at which point my concentration won’t kick in until I’ve had at least one…and of course you know how hard it is to stop at just one… :)