Focus

This week, I want to talk about focus.

You know, that thing that sometimes evade you when you have something you want to do or know you should do, but just can't seem to get it together to do it. But there are different kinds of focus: there's the focus that gets your work done and there's focus in your story. Let's talk about the latter one first.

STORY FOCUS

No matter your POV (Point-of-View), the story needs to have a focus. I was recently thinking about my NANOWRIMO project from last November. In the second half of the novel, if I can be so brave to call it that, the focus shifts a bit. The story is told in third person, but mainly focuses on Clara - the main character. In the second half, there are many passages revolving around Clara's mother, Bethany.

The parts of the story that focus on Bethany have a purpose, of course, but I wonder if putting the focus on her will interrupt the flow of the story. I'm not sure I would take these passages out, even if it did. I would try to find a way to fix it internally. The parts of the story that focus on Bethany and her past, explains the family's past and the way that magic works in this universe.

All in all, I like, but I still worry about leaving it in or leaving it as is. It's something I will have to think on, especially when I pick the story back up on the beginning of May to edit it again.

GENERAL FOCUS

Right now, on the computer, I have three windows open: one for work (actual work, the one I get paid for), one window with my LiveJournal open on it, and this one - which has tabs for Blogger and Celtx.

I jump from window to window, tab to tab as needed.

How's a girl supposed to focus when there's so much to do?

Granted, I don't need to be on LiveJournal (or FaceBook, that was earlier). But it's a nice little distraction in between spurts of writing. It's much easier for me to use a computer for my writing (not always convenient, but easier). So the question remains, how to stay focused?

I don't actually have any advice for this except to power through it. Sometimes I write with music on, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I have the television on, other times I need silence. Sometimes I just need to check FaceBook every five minutes and other times . . . well, other times I'd rather run away screaming then deal with it.



Whether the focus on your life is in your story or in your surroundings, remember to keep focuses. There are things that need to get done and if you don't do it, who will?