College and Focus

I started college last week.  It's pretty much a cooler, more independent and more intense version of high school.  I'm keeping my job, too, so I'm busy in the evening and have most of my free time in the afternoon, which is kind of weird.  I'm taking a creative writing class, and it is so flipping cool.

I've only been in the class for a week, and already I have learned so much.  Lesson number one: be specific and show imagery.  One girl in the class said she wrote 'fun stuff', and the teacher (nicely) picked on her until she gave us something specific.  Why?  Because specifics give our brains an image to focus on!  And giving the reader an image is pretty much the most important thing in writing because that is when you transport the reader into another place.

Lesson number two was on focus!  Super helpful, this might end up being the best chapter in the whole book for me.  You should be writing every day (which I, for the most part, do) but I really like what it said about timing your writing.  Put the timer on for ten minutes and just go.  I did it, and it was amazing how fast I wrote.  This helps you to really get un-stuck if you're feeling unable to write.

Probably two of my favorite quotes from this chapter are:

"Remember: you will want to avoid writing.  All writers struggle with procrastination, writer's block, distraction, or laziness.  All successful writers develop strategies to deal with these issues.  Conquering not-writing is probably half the battle when you are taking a writing class.  Everyone struggles with this."

"Expect to get stuck at unpredictable times.  Plan on getting stuck just when things are going well; that is very common.  Good writers are good learners-- they pay attention to what it is that led them to being stuck."

It was amazing to read that in the book.  No wonder I've had times where I feel like I just can't or just don't know how to write: it's normal and it happens to everyone.  I could cry it makes me so happy to read that in something published.  The book gives all kinds of advice for getting un-stuck; my favorite thus far has been making a ritual to start and stop writing.  I use rituals all the time when playing volleyball, it never occurred to me to use it while writing.  My writing ritual is as simple as putting lotion on my hands before I begin writing and after I'm done.

Also, focus can apply to the rest of my college studies, as well as flow, when you're in that awesome trance-like state and you can picture everything you write.

What are your strategies for getting un-stuck?

~Crimson