The Lack of Mental Headspace

I was just reading through this awesome sneak peak of The Struggle Bus – Ch 1 and realized that I need to re-gain focus on writing the sequel to my first novel Forsaking Home. I write here, not only to scratch the itch, but in order to keep myself in line. However, since the big business downgrade of 2020, my standard writing habits must change and I am finding those changes difficult to enact.

I used to go to Starbucks or some other equivalent and remove all distractions outside of caffeine and laptop. It worked well, and though it usually required a day off from the job, progress moved along nicely.

Now… well I do have a lot to do, but I am still unable to focus on writing at home. There are just too many people, noises, and tasks that require my time. This is a hurdle I need to leap over if I ever want to produce many pages on a regular cadence.

The other big issue is the lack of mental headspace. In fact, I think this is the biggest issue.

Having been a software developer in the past, I have understood that I have limits. These are not limits to tasks that are mundane or uninteresting. There are limits to the ability to produce focused thought and analysis. I can only describe this as being physically tired. The truth is, writing has sufficiently re-informed me of my limits. After a long day at work, and while having a specific interest in being a present and aware parent… I rarely have the headspace to produce actual writing.

I have found that the ideas in detail come out well when I am driving (alone) and I can dictate those details into an email.

I find it fascinating that writing requires a similar level of focus to coding. I can specifically say that, at least for me, I have to have a warm up period where I can become truly focused. I would compare this as the downtime needed before falling asleep. People generally can’t just go from 100mph racing brain directly into bed and expect to fall asleep immediately.

Once I can focus, the details flow.

As a writer, it is up to me to create an environment where I can remain for enough time to settle in and produce.

I had it…. I lost it. Now I need to figure out a new strategy.