Have you ever ridden the ‘Tunnel of Love’ at a carnival? It’s not that different from having tunnel vision. With both, there is one objective in sight and very little can disrupt the parties involved. I’ve always been in love with words, but neglecting writing them had become a daily occurrence. Isn’t it funny how we become indifferent to the things and people we care about most? This year I decided to jump onto what feels more like the roller coaster of love, to drop in exhilaration and twist in gut-wrenching stress. I know there are loops to come, but it’s all be worth it because I love writing.
This week I want to propose that you can be in love with what you write, and get it written. While tunnel vision can seem negative in a world filled with overstimulating activities and overbooked calendars, it will help while you’re on this book-writing ride. Let’s explore what cruising on the Tunnel (Vision) of Love can support, and what it takes to love your story enough to discover it.
The Benefits of Tunnel Vision…
1. It gets a novel finished quickly.
I’m the perfect example. It took me over a year to write Descent, but I’ve been determined to treat writing Defend less like a hobby and more like a career. If all goes according to plan (and it will), I’ll finish Book 2 in three months.
2. It makes for a more focused story and limits any inconsistencies.
Writing off and on over time can make your storytelling less fluid. Your character development can suffer in addition to your storyline. When writing Descent, I fell into a pattern of reading my previous work (from a week before) to start a new section or chapter, and it ate away at my time and sanity.
3. It gives a feeling of accomplishment and is a source of daily practice to make yourself a better writer.
I’m finding that writing everyday makes me feel limber and strong in word choices and word counts. I feel good about the return on the writing investment (time) each day.
How to Create Tunnel Vision…
1. Schedule, schedule, schedule. Have a calendar/timeline and stick to it.
MAKE time each day for writing. When it’s time to write, shut everything else down and go into tunnel-vision-mode. I’ve found that in my own scheduled time, my word count goals go over better than a goal based on time. I started out committing to an hour a day, but realized that committing to 500-2k words (depending on the day) made me feel more accomplished in the end.
2. Limit other activities and projects. (i.e. Social media, guest blogs, saying ‘yes’.)
This. is. the. hardest. Everyone has a temptation that itches so badly you just have to scratch, and this one is mine. I hate saying ‘no’, I feel alone when I can’t check my notifications and email, and a hollow feeling of disconnect overwhelms me when I unplug from the internet. BUT, when I follow through on my commitment there is a huge difference in the amount of, and quality of, work I get done!
3. Reward yourself regularly!
While feeling accomplished should be reward enough, let’s get real! I want to catch up on my favorite TV show, go shopping, or stuff my face with cheesecake. What is it that you want? If you reach your goal, go get it!
