by Jean Sidden

Created on: May 19, 2010

Writers can get distracted by normal life happening around them. This is particularly the case when life is not going well and you're faced with a bad day. Sometimes it seems as if your mind stays firmly stuck in your troubles and won't let any other thoughts in. It takes some effort but you can learn to re-focus your attention on your writing even if you're having a bad day.

The first thing to remember is your writing is your refuge from life. If you're not enjoying what you're feeling about the circumstances reality is offering you, spend some time in non-reality and take a break from your problems. Use your writing as an antidote to a bad day and you may find that simply distracting yourself from the issues at hand will help change your perspective. At the very least, turning to your writing for solace will help you spend the time in a productive pursuit.

Another way of looking at your problems is that they can end up being excellent source material. Are you experiencing something that you could use in the story you're telling? Is there an issue you're involved with that could give you a good idea for an article? Exploiting your bad day for fresh ideas is a great way of saying "thank you" for the experience, bad or not. It's also a wonderful way to find something positive in what might be perceived as a negative situation.

You may find that you simply need to force yourself to make a beginning. Yes, our emotions can overwhelm us such that we don't think we can give anything to our writing. However, your writing should also be viewed as work and most of us can't take a personal day from work every time we get up on the wrong side of life. People are known for their resiliency and often must push through their difficult feelings to do what needs doing. Your writing is the same as if you were required to show up to an office for an eight hour work day.

If you're having a problem getting back to your writing on a bad day try putting your troubles in perspective and let your writing help you out. What role does writing play in your life? If it is an important one it will beckon you to set your troubles aside and move on by focusing on your writing.

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