Shiny Objects

         

Hmmm... what one thing should I choose for this month's post about my writing insecurities? *taps finger on temple* The list running through my head resembles movie credits.

Focus--that's a good one, that works, or more precisely, doesn't work for me at all lately. I'm pulled in a million different directions, spinning from one topic to another, landing on nothing for more than about 15 minutes before something else distracts me. I've done a post about this before (you can check it out here if you're interested), but still find myself with the same problem--lack of focus.

I've heard magpies are attracted to shiny things. Maybe I'm more magpie than Up dog...who knows, but I just spent ten minutes looking up why magpies are attracted to shiny objects and how you can find coins, aluminum foil, bright colored glass, bottle caps, and many other such pretty objects in their nests.

And now I've spent another ten minutes looking up the prettiest magpie. As far as birds go, the magpie isn't all that unattractive. I'm not a bird person, but I'm thinking I have more in common with a magpie than I'd care to admit. If I walk into a store and something sparkles to my right, I'm heading there before I realize. I must see this shiny thing, I want to feel it, I need to take it to my nest--I mean my home.

Similar with writing. I start my day off by reading email, checking my blog, possibly Twitter, then have every intention of sending out another batch of query letters or playing search and destroy in my ms, but something pretty sparkles on someone's blog and I'm done for. And now I've spent more valuable minutes talking about my addiction to sparkly things.

This is my problem. Focus. I need it back. Maybe if I threw glitter all over my manuscript...


And now I've spent another unspecified amount of minutes looking up glitter, sparkle, and shiny things...


Oh elusive focus, where are you hiding? You're beneath that pretty shiny thing over there, aren't you?

How do you stay focused?