Managing Your Distractions

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My work has involved a computer, a desk, a chair for several years now.  And I have spent too much time with these things not working! 

For instance, I love doing research.  And I love being thorough – I like having good information!  I attack questions by looking for the answers online.  Then I follow up on my sources to see if I have reliable information, check my email and find I need to pay our electric bill, answer an email from my daughter that came from a Facebook message, notice my friend’s post who is preparing to say good-bye to his wife who’s dying of cancer, pray for them, complete my jeans purchase and provide feedback for another seller, and bring up my Outlook calendar to see if I forgot something that needed to be done in the next few days.  I spot the stack of notes in front of my monitor to remind me of my homework from the writing class.  When my shoulders and back are just too uncomfortable to be in that position any longer, I get up and stretch, get a drink, move the laundry from the dryer to the basket & fold Jerry’s shirts, check the progress of my dinner plans, look out the window at the weather, make a cup of tea and head back to my chair.

Two hours after starting I wonder why I don’t feel I’ve made any progress.

Here are some tips:

1.  Put up roadblocks, boundaries for yourself you chose not to cross. Install filters in your day that prevent distractions to come through to you until you’re ready for them.  Yes, I’ve been known to turn the phone off!  And I’m happy I don’t own an Iphone, Blackberry, or whatever.  I just don’t need the distractions.  It wouldn’t be good for me to take on that much input from other people.

2.  Catch your thoughts.  My husband has a favorite concept from the Bible about “taking thoughts captive.”  When something comes to your mind that threatens to derail your progress, catch it and put it in its place.  Trash it, stick it in your 10 o’clock, 2 o’clock, or tomorrow folder, or otherwise deliver it to its appropriate box.  One question I ask myself when a distracting thought lingers, “do I need to write this down?”  Sometimes writing just enables me to put it aside without worrying if I’ll remember it later.

3.  Allow distractions but give them a limit.  There’s that boundary thing again!  Of course it was important to pray for my friend and manage my home.  And I’m writing a blog post when I’d planned to sit here and work on my homework.  That’s ok. I set the limit and ordered my priorities.

Changes Coming to Embrace in Publishing

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I keep opening my mind to learn new things, to be willing to grow in my understanding.  I realize changes will never end, but will I be able to keep up?    I’ve watched this interview twice and it still astonishes me.  Seth explains how it makes sense that authors can actually give their books away in this internet age, and still be able to gain solid readers and profit from it!  Here’s the link to the Michael Hyatt (Chairman of Thomas Nelson publishers) interview with Seth Godin that I’m talking about.

Are you ready for the next “new normal?”  I’m pretty sure I am.

On Being a Writer, from Willamette Writers

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“Be who you are becoming” is one of the taglines I noted at the Willamette Writers meeting I attended last night.  Lola Broomberg, who spoke about The Writer’s Toolkit to Stay Productive Under Pressure & Stress, reminded me of a concept that my circle of friends discussed often in the 70′s.

For us it was simple: Be.  Just be.  Not becoming, not trying to change.  Be.  Not worrying so much about creating me, or recreating me.  Just be.  Jesus said, “abide in me.”  The message for us in the stresses of our teen years was “Just be living in Jesus, attached to him like a branch to a tree.  You don’t have to struggle, hold your breath, tighten your muscles in order to make fruit.  Just be a branch on the cherry tree, and you will produce cherries.”

Single pink cherry blossom flowering in Oregon

I have been writing for 40 years or more, and I love doing it.  I’m just being a writer, and as a follower of Jesus, abiding in him, I will produce what I was designed to produce.  Wow, that’s encouraging!

 

How Do You Choose a Critique Group?

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How do you choose a critique group?  I keep hearing that in order to become an accomplished writer I need to be associated with people who will read my work and give me feedback.  But I don’t like the idea of critique.  It sounds too much like the word criticize, and that makes me cringe!  I openly confess that I’m a scaredy-cat, though full of the lofty self talk of a pioneer treading new ground in a strange land.  Maybe what I need is to give it a different name.   How about Writer’s Support Group?   But that sounds more like some sort of therapy, I think.  I’m 50-plus and I need therapy.  Well yes, that’s likely accurate.

In my writing class at LCC I have yet to present any of my work.  I have however, had the opportunity to critique other students’ work. This is more stressful to me than imagining the day I’m the recipient!   I just don’t feel I know much about making helpful suggestions.

There’s still so much to learn. I need a support group.

UPDATE:  I read the piece I wrote for the Crafting the Novel class on Thursday and received encouraging feedback afterwards.  The “aha” moment for me was when, about halfway through my reading, I felt the silence thicken in the room as everyone listened to my story.  I felt honored by the attention, and hopeful that I was offering something of value.  I’m even more motivated now to press through to write and learn even more.  Yes!

Am I a Pretender?

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Wanting to explore new realms, I enrolled in a course from LCC to improve my writing.  It’s called Crafting the Novel with instructor Linda Clare.  I don’t know if I even want to write a novel, but so far I have written 10 pages that I think are interesting.  However, I need convincing that I can write something that will interest others, and that I should even be doing this!  (I’ve heard self-doubt is common in writers.)

I follow Dorcas Smucker’s blog and have read her books, and I cannot help but compare my life to hers.  I think being a Mennonite pastor’s wife with five children in a farmhouse and a writer for our local newspaper is a lot more interesting than my life.  What have I really got to say?  I think I know the answer to that already.  She’s fascinating because she allows her readers to see how she thinks.  And I’m too timid to do that.  Maybe too proud.  Maybe too scared.

I heard Lauraine Snelling speak at the Oregon Christian Writers conference a few weeks ago, so now I’m reading and learning from her work.  Can I really walk the novel writer’s path?

I guess it still boils down to what-is-God’s-will-for-my-life.  Or obedience.

Praise the Dog

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I brought my son home from kindergarten for lunch to our quiet, empty house.  This was our special “Seth and mom” time.  His two older brothers, Joshua and Aaron came home later in the afternoon with the noise and activity of busy hungry schoolboys.  After that my husband usually carted us off to church, baseball or basketball practices and the busy-ness wouldn’t let up till they were all snuggled down in their beds for the night.

That’s why I relished our mid-day dates.  Sometimes Seth and I took walks to discover bugs, rainbows, pretty rocks, or other treasures.  Often there was chasing, tickling and giggling around the house or showing off his newest stunts on the swing set.  Sometimes we’d sit at the front window to observe the weather and talk about whatever was on his mind.

There’s no guarantee that our family members will always understand us.  My husband Jerry and I decided early in our marriage that the best way to raise our children would be for me to be home with them, but even with all the focused and careful attention miscommunication would happen once in a while.

After finishing his sandwich one day Seth asked to go outside to play with our new puppy, an Australian Shepherd mix named Max.  Soon I heard “No!” And then a breath later I heard another “No!”  Seth scolded and explained, and then another abrupt “No!”  I saw Max run in a little circle and come back to Seth’s hand to nip his fingers.  “No, Max!”  Max ran in another little circle and lunged at a shoelace.  Seth kicked his foot out to resist, saying several more no’s.  Max wasn’t getting the message.

I was amazed how often I could hear the word no without seeing evidence of 5-year-old frustration!  I finally decided it was time to help, so I called him in.  Keeping my sermon short, I pointed out that he would feel pretty low if we told him no constantly.  I added another example or two and a bit of coaching.  “Max needs to hear praise lots more than no, and then he’ll listen better and learn what you’re trying to teach him.  See him wagging his tail?  He really wants to please you.”  He gave me his quick “I got it” hug and went back outside.  I should have known not to be too smug with my coaching skills.

I went back to my cookie dough and folding laundry.  Sure enough, things soon got too quiet and I had to find Seth.  I could hear his voice but not see him, so I lifted myself up and leaned over the kitchen sink—still couldn’t see him.  I pushed open the sliding glass door and found Seth bowing repeatedly in front of his perplexed puppy with his hands together saying, “praise you, praise you, praise you.”

I don’t honestly remember if Max got the message, but I sure did!  Even when giving loving careful instruction I can be misunderstood; and it’s good to take time to define what I’m talking about, as much as my listener is willing to hear, anyway.

Praise Dog From Whom the Slobbers Flow

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Praise dog from whom the slobbers flow

Praise him more than correction show

Praise if you want him to obey

Praise morning, night and at mid-day

This ”dogsology” came from our family story about my 5-year-old son Seth learning to train our new puppy Max.  If you’re unfamiliar with the hymn, try searching for the Doxology with the lyrics “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…”  We love singing it with family and/or friends when we get together for holidays; the Doxology, that is!