The Creative Year: Clearing the Decks
Getting rid of distractions
NaNoWriMo starts next week. One of the big things for me has been prepping my novel so I can hit the ground running as well as trying to finish up all of the things for my debut novel.
A big thing for my prep is also clearing the decks of all of the distractions. I have been doing NaNo for more years than I can remember and I know that, come week two or three, I will end up getting burned out just enough that just about anything else will be preferable to sitting at my computer and writing. Every year, it hits at a different time, but it usually happens.
Which means that cleaning becomes a huge distraction. I will notice a messy corner or my closet isn’t straightened and become fixated on it until I fix it. And that’s great for having a clean house, but not so great when you’re cleaning instead of writing during a big writing month.
This week is a big cleaning week. Bathroom, closet, bookcases, you name it. Not that most of it absolutely needs to be cleaned right now. It could wait until NaNo is over.
But I know my brain and once I get distracted, it’s hard to get back on track. So I’m nipping it in the bud as much as I can before NaNo kicks off. I’ve made a huge list and am slowly ticking them off. This is my last bit of prep (besides buying snacks when I go grocery shopping) and a newer addition to my Preptober. While not novel related, it is a big thing that helps me stay on track.
What are your nontraditional ways of keeping your writing or creativity on track? Let me know!
