Has the 2016 Presidential Election Impacted Your Writing?

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine

In America, the Presidential Election has come and gone. If your candidate won, "congratulations." If your candidate didn't win, the next election will take place in four years. 

Personally, I've found this Election distracting with concerns for America's future. As any author will tell you, distractions are as debilitating as writers' block, so here is what I suggest. You've had 48 hours to process the election, and now is the time to reboot. Set a routine and write. Begin today. 

You might consider to write by hand. No need to worry about the distractions on a computer. Think of yourself as a writer in the days before computers. No distraction of the Internet.

Turn off your cell phone and put it in another room. The minute you pick it up, you can easily lose 2 ½ hours. After all, your cell phone likely is a computer. Set a time to check your phone for emails, and, as you pick it up, set the timer for 15 minutes, then turn it off. 

Find your own writing spot. Before you sit down, get ready with writing clothes. Find that spot that makes you happy and write. 

A trick that works for some authors is to leave an unfinished sentence at the end of your daily writing. The unfinished sentence will allow you to start the next day with a direction for your writing. 

Turn on music you like to set the writing mood. If music is not your preference maybe try a noise machine for background noise like the waves of the ocean, thunderstorm or a babbling brook.

It's not too late to join National Novel Writing Month. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to get authors "Committed to writing 50,000 words in the 30 days of November?" Its just November 10th. 

Join me and start today. Reboot your writing.