I’ve been really good about staying disciplined and writing for about 2.5 hours every morning since I went full-time with my writing last autumn. But there is a persistent problem that’s been bugging me, interruptions.
I rarely get stuck when I’m writing. Sometimes, it’s true, the words that appear before my eyes aren’t all that good. But that’s no problem. I can always re-write those later on. Occasionally, I might find myself at risk of being side-tracked by a new story idea that’s just desperate to be heard. But that, too, can usually be dealt with. I write down a few notes and tell myself to come back to it later.
And, it’s true, when I’m really tired it can become difficult to write much that’s worth the effort. Of course, the obvious answer there is to get more sleep.
But the one thing I have always struggled to adequately deal with and which is a real problem are interruptions. It doesn’t really matter what the source of the interruption is, its impact is invariably substantial.
The phone rings. Someone rings the door bell. A family member pokes their head round the corner of the study doorway. A pigeon flies into the window (yes, that happens not infrequently).
It may only take a few seconds to deal with the interruption. Turn off the phone. Answer the door. Tell my wife, no, I’m not in need of another cup of coffee, thanks.
But the impact is the same. My concentration gets broken. That sentence you were half-way through. The new scene you were just piecing together in your head. That witty reply one of your characters was about to make to someone else. The interruption pulls the rug out from underneath me.
It’s worse still if I’m in that rather rare but delightful state called flow. Then, I’m not really aware of anything else around me and the words tumble from me seemingly with no effort whatsoever and time passes without me even realising it.
The real problem is not so much the actual interruption itself, as it is getting yourself back up and running. Concentration isn’t switched on and off like a light, at least for me it isn’t. And, as for flow, that comes and goes entirely as it pleases, not at my beck and call.
But what’s to do? How do I stop these unwelcome interruptions. Booby-trap the front door? No, that would only make for more of an interruption. Call the wife a rude name? Definitely to be avoided, me thinks. Go into hiding each morning, with my phone switched off and not telling anyone where I’m going? Well, that would work, but it does seem a bit drastic. It might likely also entail some expenditure and loss of time getting to and fro.
No, none of those will do.
In truth I’ve found the best way to deal with interruptions is to remain calm and not allow yourself to get flustered. By doing that I give myself at least some chance of making my way back to wherever I was before I got interrupted. It’s not perfect, but at least it gives me a chance. Sadly, that doesn’t work for flow, but that’s just something I have to take on the chin.
But what about you, how do you deal with interruptions when you are deep into your work?
