Distractions come in many shapes and sizes for writers. From rearranging the bookshelf to reading books written by others, we are always putting off the writing until the urge to write overtakes the urge to sleep.

For me though the biggest one is having too many ideas distracting me while I’m trying to finish the current project. I often put the current project down to research some random idea that popped into my mind and chase it down the proverbial rabbit hole, lose interest and then return to the project only to find, what little time I had that day has evaporated. Poof! Gone! Kaput!

So this is what I’ve learnt to do over the years to manage my muse from acquiring octopus tendencies.

Rule #1: Wait very close to the deadline of the current project to start it. That way the sheer panic of the looming deadline would kill any other distraction. That also means there’s no time to eat, sleep, pray or love. But who needs those things when the pen is scratching against the paper. Or was that the cat?

Rule #2: When a new idea breaks the concentration of the current project, try to write it down in summary form and try to let it go. But this is easier said than done. Sometimes the summary takes a long form version and ends up being the first three chapters. Sometimes it fizzles out by the time the summary gets written up. Either way, succumbing to distraction might actually take the pressure off the temptation.

Rule #3: When a new idea tries to take over the muse, tell the idea it is worthless. Beat it down, insult it, shame it, bully it. And if it still keeps coming back just like I did when people told me I can’t write, then perhaps it does deserve some attention. If it cowers away with a moan or a snarl, then perhaps it wasn’t worth it.

Rule #4: One of the early rules of love I learnt was – let it go and if it comes back, it’s yours. I let go many and almost none of them came back. That’s the same with ideas. If you let them go without writing them down, they never come back. Especially the ones that come to you between the few seconds (or hours) between sleep and waking up. But if they do come back, they are yours to keep.

The fifth and the final rule is – finish what you started. Finishing is satisfying. Finishing is fulfilling. Finishing is empowering. All ideas are worth their weight in chocolate only if they can be turned into something. And that is the current project. So put away the idea for a later time – do jot it down as quickly as they come; but put them away from your mind and soul for the moment and focus on what’s in front of you.

So now that you’ve been dealing with distraction by reading this blog post, get back to your current project and hey, good luck!

Chitra Soundar is a closet clown, consummate liar, writer and storyteller. As a kid, she danced in a Bollywood movie, acted on stage with her neighbourhood friends and disliked Maths because it never added up. Find out more at www.chitrasoundar.com and follow her on Twitter or Instagram via @csoundar.

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