We were watching The Karate Kid this weekend, the remake with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. I was all set to NOT like it. Picture me sitting with my arms across my chest and a pout on my face as I declared to The Hubster "You can't BEAT an original. I refuse to watch this." I loved it. It's really hard to go wrong with Jackie Chan. I do love him. It didn't beat the original, though. (Note: That's my cousin, Bren, in his Karate Kid headband that my aunt made him. He just turned 27 last week. But to me, he'll always look like this.)"Your Focus Needs More Focus"
I feel like this right now. I've had some great opportunities to write this week. Rainy days, no classes. I get a good hour, maybe two and I start to lose focus. My mind wanders, then my body follows.
I cleaned out and organized all the drawers in the bathroom on Thursday. Six drawers. On Friday, I hit the hallway closet.
My focus needs more focus.
But how do you get yourself to stay seated? After two hours, I start to squirm. I HAVE to get up and move around. The problem is refocusing. Coming back after I've gotten up. The next thing I know, I'm looking at the clock and it's time to cook dinner for The Hubster. I kick myself mentally as I chop veggies for not getting another three or four hours in.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping to turn this around. I want to be like this woman:
I want to have so much focus that my story follows my every movement. If she can stand in that pose on the ledge and get a cobra to mimic her, I can sit in my chair and get several hours of writing done. Yes, I know it's a movie. But I believe there are women out there standing on ledges and leading the cobras. I believe that I can be one of those women.
What about you - how's your focus?
My focus is totally fin-- Oh my gosh look at the shiny! Okay, my focus could use a teensy bit of work. I managed to get through a book I was struggling to read in time for my Monday review so I'll count that as a win but I need to settle down and pick a novel to write already. An hour of writing is better than none Jennie B.!
ReplyDelete- Sophia.
Oh you are so right. I think it's because we're in the editing/revising stage too. It's so cumbersome and slow that we lose interest. There isn't any of that rush of inspiration as we write our first draft. We just want to get it done, but at the same time it's taking so much time. My focus definitely needs more focus. I need to stop procrastinating and just get it done.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Abby. I feel the exact same way about editing. There's no rushes and no extreme highs. It's like.... not very fun. My focus needs more focus too. I also need to channel that focus towards schoolwork. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love the Karate Kid. You're the best around (the training montage song in the original) seriously pumps me up.
I'd developed the ability to sit for long periods of time after being the editor for a startup magazine for a year. Then I wrote like four books in a row! Whoa! Then I started querying... :o\
ReplyDeletenow I think I need to go back to the beginning... And now you've got me thinking I *might* like that new KK~ :D <3
Oh...my love for Jackie Chan runs DEEP! I just adore him. Still haven't given that movie a chance though, but you might have convinced me.
ReplyDeleteEither way, I'm right there in that focusless boat with you. Tuesday is going to be my butt in the seat dedication day. If you come up with a good tip to not get distracted, let me know!
I lose my focus all the time. I found it that if I get up and find something to do for an hour (like reading a book or watching TV helps the most) I find myself focused again and go back to writing.
ReplyDeleteOnce I'm doing something, I can focus - it's just getting to that point.
ReplyDeleteAnd I really liked the Karate Kid remake - much better than I expected.
I want to be one of those women, too! These days, the only way I can really focus is to be in a coffeeshop. Peer pressure to stay busy and write!
ReplyDeleteI still need to see that movie.
ReplyDeleteAs for my focus, I think I need ADD medication.
My focus comes and goes. I just got that movie through netflix and it's sitting on my counter. I need to give it a watch. I think the kids will love it.
ReplyDeleteOh I know exactly what you mean. I find it so hard to focus sometimes. The dishes, laundry, piles of papers on the kitchen table or ironing just keep calling my guilt ridden focus. HeyHo!
ReplyDeleteSome days it's more on than others.
ReplyDeleteI bribe myself with breaks, but first I have to do X. Then at least I make some progress.
My focus definitely needs more focus. I've been very, very distracted lately and it needs to stop.
ReplyDeleteWax on, wax off.
I, just like you had my doubts and planned to hate it but also enjoyed it. They weren't trying to completely remake it which I appreciated.
ReplyDeleteLOL I love Jennifer's wax on, wax off. Hilarious.
Focus?! What focus?!
I was set not to like the remake, too. But it won me over. It would be great to have focus like that woman. But I know myself, and I don't see it in my future.
ReplyDelete