A Trick to Increase Focus
There’s loads of fancy writing software out there designed to help you draft your book—I know many of you love Scrivener, for example—but I’m a Word gal. It's nearly Luddite in its simplicity. In fact, I thought I knew all its angles until I recently discovered the Focus function.
You know what Focus does? It creates a blanket fort around your writing, a cozy little space where your computer is the flashlight and you get to tell stories in the dark. See the photo to the right. I've been using it on my current WIP, and it has doubled my daily output.
Here's how I use it. I set up my writing station (water, lap desk, notes), open my WIP, turn on Focus, then mentally tuck myself to write a scene. (I’m an outliner, but you don’t have to be; a scene for me ends up being around 1200 words).
Once I finish drafting a scene, I leave the Focus fort for my social media pellet. Some days, I return to write a second scene and then watch out, I am feeling RIGHTEOUS for the rest of that day.
One or two scenes a day with time off for good behavior gets you a first draft in four months.
So, those of you who write in Word, may I recommend checking out the Focus option if you don’t already use it? Here’s how to access it:
Open Word.
Click on View.
Find and click Focus.
Simple, yes? 😊 At least one thing in writing ought to be.
p.s. You know what else is great for focus? A writing retreat where you’re guided and supported in meeting your goals. There's still a few spots left in the fall 2023 women's all-inclusive writing retreat in Colorado.
Registration comes with a private en-suite room; gentle daily yoga; workshops designed to take your writing to the next level; a Book in a Bag kit; a one-on-one; time to rest and play, and so much more! Click here for all the details.