The Writing Shed

Writing is not easy. Sometimes the muse seems elusive. The next sentence, or even word, refuses to be written. If you're lucky enough to be to have ample time and a conducive environment to sit down and write the task becomes easier but, even then, you can be plagued with procrastination.

Having a deadline, be it self-inflicted or not, can help. But still, you can often feel the world conspiring against you as you attempt to finish whatever it is you're working on. I, personally, find distractions the hardest thing to cope with. The hustle and bustle of the household and the noise. I prefer the peacefulness of the garden when the weather permits, that's if my neighbours aren't mowing their lawns in a symphony. My project this summer is to create the perfect space for writing. A shed at the bottom of the garden where I can retreat to. I'm even pondering about aligning its interior to the mystic rules of feng shui. Of course, you don't have to take it to those extremes, but creating the right environment can help. Some people prefer background noise whilst they write. There is research to suggest that different types of background noise can help you focus on such things. The Spotify app has mood selections where you can listen to acoustic music or the ambient sounds of nature and websites such as coffitivity.com provide various coffee shop background noises which are also supposed to aide concentration. Of course, a major distraction for most people these days is social media, especially if you use a laptop. Unless you are resolute in your use of such things, it is far too easy to become distracted (usually in the name of research, of course!) Thankfully, apps are now available to block the internet and app notifications for a specified time. So if your willpower is not enough and the pull of your Twitter feed is far too tempting, it may be worth checking them out. Some are free, others are not and some have various other features to help you monitor your productivity. StayFocusd, for example, is a free Chrome extension that allows you to set daily allowances for social media, so that excuse of 'I'll check my emails' and then 2 hours later . . . sorted! So, you've got peace and quiet, or your fave tunes in the background. The productivity app is switched on so you don't get chatting on Facebook. Your fingers are poised over the keyboard in readiness for the best paragraph you've ever written - the doorbell goes. Auntie Lucy has popped over for a chat and brought a chocolate cake for the third day in a row. I know, it's difficult and it always happens at the most inopportune moments, not just when you're trying to write. If you're writing is important to you then your friends and family will understand if you want some time out for it. Don't feel guilty about putting time aside and sticking to it like any other appointment. They wouldn't gatecrash your yoga class. Would they? I think I've set the scene for my shed now; the ambient noises of a coffee shop escape through its window as I sit diligently at a keyboard with my website blocker app switched on as cold callers try to get past the barbed wire surrounding the small wooden structure . . . Did I mention you don't have to take it to extremes? Hopefully not, but I do hope that you and I will find these things useful when we next sit down to write.

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