Focus

Photo by Bobbi Emel Wilmoth. Used with permission.

Concentrate enough on one thing and the background becomes a blur. Sometimes that’s healthy and productive. Staying focused provides clarity and helps you accomplish tasks and reach your goals.

In 2016 I participated in Ellen Bass’s and Pam Houston’s "A Glint of Light on Broken Glass" writing retreat near Hope, Canada. No phones, no radio, no television, no Wi-Fi. With time dedicated to writing in the peaceful setting of the Inn at Lake Connamarra, I learned new techniques, sharpened skills, and wrote three new poems and a piece of flash fiction. Meeting accomplished writers and making new friends added to my perspective and growth.

  

Focus can be a positive distraction. In a lengthy MRI session, unable to move for an extended period of time, a golfer I know replayed whole rounds in her head. (Amazing how golfers can recall every stroke.)

Sometimes, being so focused is not helpful. All manner of things can be happening around you, and you never realize it. You just don’t see it because you’re preoccupied. I’m reminded of a friend who was shocked when his wife found someone else. He was so intent on his career, he neglected home and family.

Focusing on the negatives means you often miss out on the positives. Zeroing in on the positives can change attitudes, actions, and productivity.

The Prompt

Write your poem this week thinking about where your focus lies. How has staying focused affected your life? What sidetracks you? Consider what you have observed about the benefits and the damages from being focused.

Word Bank

Clarity  

Nucleus

Pinpoint

Purpose              

The main thing

Visual Prompt

Please share the link to your poem (or post your poem) in the comments below. And, if you're on Facebook, post it to Poets on the Page. We're looking forward to reading your work.

Annis Cassells is a writer, poet, life coach, and teacher.  She divides her time between Bakersfield, California and Coos Bay, Oregon. She is a member of Writers of Kern, a branch of the California Writers Club. See Annis’s blogs at www.thedaymaker.blogspot.com and www.poemsbyannis.blogspot.com and her website at www.connectionsandconversations.com

Tuning out distractions

Life happens. Sometimes that life is loud. Encompassing everything around you. The neighbor's dog barking. Your teenager practicing the piano. The football game blaring from the den.

Sometimes it feels like life throws all of these distractions at you and you're just trying to juggle it. Here's what I try to do when the distractions become too much.

Headphones: I bought a sweet pair of headphones that have some sound cancelling elements. They're not the most expensive, but they're pretty effective. They don't block out everything, but it's enough so I can play music and lose myself in my thoughts.

Pleading for peace: Sometimes when I need some solitude for writing, I tell everyone that I'm going to be available for a few hours. I'm just holing up in my room with my headphones and my poetry. Your variation could be asking your partner to take care of things for an hour while you hide in the basement with your laptop. 

Abandon ship: If it's too crazy here, too many distractions then I head to the library or a coffee shop. I can go there and write, knowing that I'm not going to be bothered by anyone. I can just focus on the writing.

Because the night: In the wee hours of the night/day there's times when the world seems hushed. Still. If all else fails, those times are wonderful for tapping into your creative juices and writing a bit.

How do you manage to write when the world seems to not want you to? Let me know in the comments!

17 Days until OctPoWriMo!

Tamara Woods was raised (fairly happily) in West Virginia where she began penning poems after a boy broke her heart. She shares poetry, short stories and writer interviews on her blog, PenPaperPad. Her writing has been featured in Mamalode, In the Powder Room, and many others. She is the editor for The Reverie Journal, which will be releasing it's first poetry collection early October. She also hosts #writestuff TweetChat where writers talk about writing every Tuesday at 9 pm EST. She is a hillbilly hermit living in Honolulu with her Mathmagician.