Confessions of a Hopaholic

Because I am just recouping from the ACFW conference, I have chosen to repost a previous blog entry today. I hope to post all about the conference and how awesome it was but I will spend today unpacking, doing laundry, and trying to process all the information fed into my brain over the last several days. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this entry from earlier this year, in which I confess my hopaholic tendencies. Maybe you can relate...



So I saw the movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic, the other day and I could so relate. Not to the shopping part (although, don't get me wrong - I LOVE shopping and especially a great bargain!), but to the "aholic" part.I have an addictive personality. Years ago, it was cigarettes, parties, burritos, The Love Boat and ice cream. These days, it's the computer, coffee, reality TV, coloring my hair, and ice cream. They really need to come up with support groups for these things.

Now, about the title of this blog post. You may think the HOP refers to my tendency to character-head-hop. But that's not it. I pretty much have a grasp on that principle. No, my confession is about my slight addiction to distractions. Ok, I don't have A.D.D. In fact, I'm not a hyper person at all. Most people would describe me as laid-back. But even though I'm physically calm, mentally, I hop around like a bunny on steroids.

This addiction gets in the way of my writing. I'll be in the middle of a great scene and the thought "email" will pop into my head. Oh...gotta go check that e-mail!

Scene interrupted.

I'll be brainstorming away for twenty minutes straight, and out of the corner of my eye, I'll see dust particles dancing in the beam of sunlight. Oh...gotta go get the Pledge.

Creativity interrupted.

I'll be concentrating on editing a chapter that includes a character's birthday and I'll think, "Oops...forgot to mail so-and-so's birthday card. I'd better do that now."

Productivity interrupted.

I'm working hard on one manuscript and something triggers the thought of another manuscipt I've got going. Oh...think I'll dig that one out instead.

Focus interrupted.

Get what I'm talking about? This is why it takes me so long to finish a manuscript (about 4 years to finish my first!).Maybe you struggle with the same thing. Please tell me you do and that I'm not the only Hopaholic Writer. But here's what I'm after: ADVICE.

How do you keep your focus? How do you prevent yourself from flitting around from one thing to another? How do you get stuff done?

You know, I'm thinking there needs to be a support group for Hopaholics. But then, that would just be one more thing to bounce to and distract us from our writing.

Oh...gotta go. Gotta check my email.