Focus: Cultivating the Message Within

by Laurie Epps

You have a deadline, you have to turn something in to your boss or professor and you're running out of time. 

What do you do? How do you fight with the blankness in the recesses of your mind? You can't think.... You have no ideas, or too many ideas. Mentally you are swimming, but the deadline is there. That looming deadline is staring you in the face, and sticking it's tongue out at you.

Everyone has a different answer to this problem. Identifying your problem is key. Do you need to refine your idea, or come up with one to begin with? However, the best answer from both problems came from the same book for me. I will share with you the main quote that has walked me through the gauntlet of writing dilemma's.

“Writing is thinking on paper”― William Knowlton Zinsser

I know this sounds simple, and at times it is excruciating. Sometimes you're so panicked that you can't get anything down, or you're simply pulled in so many directions you don't know what end is up. 

I know, all writers have been there. 

But frankly put, you won't know where your pitfalls are if you don't have something concrete to work with. If you can see what you have visually, then you have some chance of organizing it, cultivating it, and growing it up to be a proud representation of your work.

The two main problems are mental block and lack of focus.

1. Mental Block. We've all been there—staring at a blank piece of paper or the computer screen and you can't think of anything. You notice everything. That drip of the faucet echoes in your head, the cat digging in its litter box, or even the individual breaths of your child in the other room. It's maddening. This kind of angst is the backdrop of famous literature like in the Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe. But if you aren't to his level of stature as a writer, this is about as much fun as having your teeth extracted. 

Instead of panicking, I'd like you to try a little exercise. Freewriting. Yep, you heard me, actually use a pen and paper. I know, in this day and age the computer seems simpler. But it doesn't connect you to your writing the same way. Write anything that comes into your mind, and do this for 10-20 minutes. For newbies, start with five minutes, and each time you attempt this, build it by five minutes. It's amazing, and it works. As you write, you'll slowly begin to see a pattern in your thoughts. That pattern helps you find what you should write about. It works phenomenally well. Be prepared to impress yourself.

2. Focus. This is one of the biggest challenges I face as a writer. And I can tell you, the same technique of journaling works for this as well. Although in the case of focus, you can utilize your computer as a resource to help you along the way. Thanks to windows you can cut and piece your essay into smaller chunks, but it's wise to find another writer to do help you along with this part of the journey. 

To begin, I work better, and think better with pen and paper. I print off my essay or article. Then I get out a different colored pen. I circle the different themes I notice throughout my essay or article. I give the written work to someone else to do the same. This can either be in a tangible form (paper copy) or virtually as I would for my boss. Let them tell me what they see. Voila! Generally we agree on 2-5 ideas or themes. Brainstorm. Pick one to cultivate more thoroughly and go with it.

Both of these ideas take a lot of patience with yourself, and with your writing. But hang in there, the muse within is dying to come out. 

I've found that journaling works very well for me, and much to the dismay of my movers. But it's a tool that has not only fine tuned my writing, but also my life. Stick with it. I promise it is worth the effort. Now get to your local store to stock up on pens and notebooks, you'll be needing them.

Stay tuned for next week. Join the conversation.

Laurie Epps is a non-fiction author, essayist, and poet living in Anderson, South Carolina. She is the proud mother of three girls, and dreams of seeing the world one day. To read more of Laurie's stories visit her column at:
http://1writerlaurieepps.blogspot.com