Not a Photo Bomb.... I'm Talking about a Muse Bomb!

Focus! That work has meant a lot to me through the years. In photography, FOCUS helps you make a clear picture. In dance, FOCUS kept me upright and not sprawled on the ground after a bunch of turns. I would say 'in labor' ... but really FOCUS went out the window for me then.

But in Writing, FOCUS is something I'm struggling with. I love to write. When someone asks me "Where do you get your ideas?" I tell them everywhere, and I mean it.
Actually WRITING DOWN those ideas? Now that's a lot harder...

Especially when this happens...

I'll be coasting along, pounding out the words, feeling 'the groove,' enjoying every second of the creative process and then....

WHAM! Random muse alert!

In comes a muse, all hot under the collar, ready to tell HER story. It doesn't matter that I'm already working on one... she wants to talk to me NOW. In DETAIL and blather on and on about her idea.

Yes, my muses do not know how to 'wait their turn.'

And for years that meant veering off and spending days working on a different project, getting it all down on paper. What I'm trying to do now is to take a break, spend no more than an hour, 'getting down the bones' maybe a few chunks of dialogue if I feel the character will use it later. (Usually a funny bit and a more intense 'deep' bit) and then I go get a glass of ice tea and get back to the original project.

It's only tooooo tempting to jump to the 'new' project, but that will get me nowhere FAST.

And it's just not what I want to do anymore.

I know, I'm taking charge of my muses... slowly... it doesn't ALWAYS work... sometimes the next project or other project gets the afternoon... maybe even the next day.  But, I'm not allowing that to happen all the time and as I work on it, their 'Muse Bomb's are distracting me less.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want them to 'stop' interrupting, I enjoy the creative process and all the strange happenings, but I know that if I want to finish a book and get it 'out there.' I have to FOCUS so I can finish.

Do you have those sometimes irritating, but always welcome distractions in your life?

Reina's Website - Reina's AMAZON Page - Reina's Facebook Author Page