Storytellersunplugged

Seems one of the things I keep running across endlessly is writers who don’t quite know how to finish what they’ve started.

Oh, they have the ideas, they have the energy, and they have the determination, but when it comes to actually writing down the words and making them work, the writers in question falter and then simply stop. A good number of them have quit writing after a few attempts and others simply start on the next project and run across the same situation again.

It seems they can’t keep their focus on the projects they’ve started. It’s not that they don’t have the desire, because with some of them the need is almost a physical thing. They want it so badly they should have scars on the veins from attempting to mainline the muse.

What is it that separates these writers from the successful ones? What makes the difference between being a writer (professional or not, successful is a different beast) and a wannabe?

If I had to put it down to one thing, it would be attention span.

Listen it’s easy in this day and age to settle down with your laptop, your cell phone, your I-pod and a dozen other gadgets in preparation for writing. All that means is you’ve got the electronics. It doesn’t mean you’ve got the tools to handle the job. Aside from the obvious need for a little talent, you also have to employ the skills you learn from practicing the fine art of writing. That means you have a basic grasp of grammar, you can write a sentence that is coherent and then use the same skill to make paragraphs, pages, chapters and eventually complete stories. Even of you never write a novel, even if you prefer to write short stories and flash fiction, you have to have a certain level of talent and you most assuredly need to have a bit of discipline. Without those things all the gadgets in the world will fail you.

I recently watched one of my regulars at the coffee shop come in with every intention of getting some writing done. She knows I’m a writer and we talk from time to time. She set up her lap top, got herself a nice, big latte the better to keep her energized and ready to write, had her notebook full of scribbled outlines, etc ready to go, and then answered her phone as soon as it rang. Fifteen minutes later, she hangs up the phone and actually has her hands over the keyboard when the phone rings again. Then one of her neighbors came in, settled down at her table, completely ignoring the laptop and notes, etc, and long story short, I think she managed around two paragraphs in close to four hours. That phone was ringing off the hook and she was answering every single call, because she felt bad if she didn’t answer a call. It didn’t seem to matter if the call was important or not, but every call needed to be answered.

Yeah. I’ve got an answering machine and caller ID. I need to talk to someone calling here, I’ll play the messages and then I’ll make my callbacks. AFTER I’ve finished with my writing for the day.

The fact that she was sitting in a Starbucks and expecting to get any writing done is also, frankly, a near guarantee that nothing will get accomplished. I like Starbucks. In addition to working at one, I am exceedinglyu fond of the caffeine and tend to go out of my way to have some before I write on most occasions. Yes, I know it might not be the healthiest thing in the world for me. I also gave up smoking after 2o odd years last October, so only one vice at a time goes off the list. That point is neither here nor there. The point is, much as I love coffee and enjoy the atmosphere at Starbucks. I don’t even consider writing at one. There are too many distractions. There are WAAAAAAAY too many things I can do to keep myself from writing.

I still have dial up on my computer. I could have DSL and or high speed etc, but I choose not to, because I know myself. If I have the sort of speed that allows me to download trailers for movies like THE DARK KNIGHT, what I’m going to do is, by God, sit down and download endless trailers, and watch them. Or what the heck, I could live on the edge and download a good number of episodes from my favorite TV shows. I will do these things in a heartbeat, and then I will scratch my head and wonder why I haven’t gotten any writing done. I know, because I’ve done that sort of thing to myself before. In the long run, I can live without the trailers. I use the Internet mostly for hitting a few websites and to e-mail my manuscripts out to editors.

I’m a movie junkie. I have a weakness. I know that from time to time I have to curb my desire to watch every damned movie made, or I will never manage to finish a thing.

You have to have a routine and stick to it. It doesn’t have to be full time hours if you can’t spare the time, but if you can and you have the time, knock yourselves out.

Two hours a day can let you get a lot accomplished if you leave the video games in a different room, switch the TV off and only answer he phone when you know the person calling isn’t going to want to tell you their life’s story just because they’ve had a lousy day and need to talk.

Discipline.

It stops me from answering every interesting comment on a bulletin board, and it keeps me from hiding in the corner when a story goes south. I can’t speak for everyone, obviously, but I’m guessing you could ask around and find that a lot of novelists have mastered the fine art of taking care of writing before damned near anything else.

Finishing what you start isn’t that hard, folks, provided you set your mind to it. Save the Play station games for later, after you’ve written and saved the scenes you’ve had planned out for the last three months and then check how long it takes you to finish a story. You might be surprised how much of a difference it makes.

James A. Moore