Writing without distractions…is that even possible?  I mentioned in an earlier post that the laundry will always be there, piling up with the other interruptions vying for our attention.  And when it comes to the act of writing, itself, I do prefer solitude to companionship.  That means locking myself in my office with a “do not disturb” sign posted on the door.  And if I’m right in the middle of writing and think of something that will require my attention at some point, I simply jot a quick note to myself.

Sometimes music stirs up my muse, but what helps the most is silencing my cell phone and closing online chat boxes to reduce the number of distractions—common sense advice that is often much easier said than done.  I think that when everything is boiled down, however, it all comes back to priorities.  Is there a benefit to putting off the article that needs outlining, or the blog that must be written, the paper that is due a week from Friday, or the next scene your agent requested two days ago?

Since graduating from ASU last month, my schedule has exploded.  I begin an editorial internship this coming Monday at InWithSkin, a national beauty magazine and my third internship with a magazine—one of my dreams come true.  I also became a certified substitute teacher, and I returned to subcontracting as a transcriptionist after a year-long sabbatical.  I still write for Suite101.com, and I am always entertaining personal essays and stories in my imagination.  With all that said, one thing has become clear to me, and that is now—more than ever—I must minimize the distractions in my daily life in order to make the rest of my dreams come true.  And because it is always the write time to simplify, that will become my next order of business. ~ cs