OK, so I don’t officially have Attention Deficit Disorder. But I, like many writers, do have a creative brain, one that seems to love to be distracted by just about anything.
Especially when I’m writing.
Especially when I’m on a deadline.
Like right now. I have a short story (well, almost a novella) that’s due for submission 9 days from now. And I haven’t finished the first draft yet. I think I’ll finish it to day if…
Oh look, something shiny!
Seriously, it’s hard sometimes to focus on the writing. Part of it is that I seem to work better when I have three or four projects going at various states of completion, and can switch back and forth between them to keep my brain happy.
But all that goes out the window when there’s a deadline.
So how do you focus on one project when you need to meet a specific date? Do you use an app like “Self Control” to block out computer distractions? Relocate to a cheap motel and draw the black-out curtains? Take three bottles of Five Hour Energy or a handful of Ritalin pills? What are your secrets for banging it out under a deadline?