Distractions Everywhere

The Holidays are here and with them, distractions. There is travel, parties, visits with family and friends, all of which are good. The only problem I have with them is keeping focused on writing. My social life is usually minimal, by choice. The approach of Thanksgiving changes that. Until January, I am suddenly besieged by events I feel pressured to attend, from family holiday reunions to various groups, all of whom have Christmas parties. Finding time to write is a challenge. Refocusing my thoughts is even more so.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and this is the only time I get to see some of them. I wouldn’t miss it, but there is no denying that I find it very hard to reenter my story worlds after hours of reminiscing. Not to mention stuffing myself to the gills on some really good food. Throw into the distractions an unfamiliar laptop, that was supposed to make writing on the go easier, but seems determined to balk at working with my favorite programs. It makes for an extremely low word count.

Sorry NaNoWriMo, I’ll do better next year. On the upside, I did get some writing done, which is an improvement, and some of it was quite good. I may not have made any where near the NaNo goal of 50k, but I did get a great start on the next trilogy.

This is something I need to work on, this writing in the midst of chaos, staying focused in compartments of time that are separated from the activities around me. I find myself looking forward to the snows of January and February that isolate both body and mind to fashion a sort of creative cocoon that sets thoughts free from the bonds of the outside world. Deep winter is the best time to write, so bring on the snow!