I’m beginning to think that I am an anomaly. Well, I know that I am. We all are. But thinking about time and our seat in the stadium of life reminds me of the “BLAM” epiphany I woke up with this morning.

Being isolated is making me a better writer.

I’ve been writing consistently for the last three years or so, mostly for myself. That’s when I decided if I was ever going to be published, then I had to get off the fence and just do it. Be it. Live it.

I left my corporate job, took a month off to ponder my options, and then created my company. Originally, I started writing for others on the copywriting and content marketing track. But over time realized that my voice needed to be added to the words.

How many of us believe that we are capable of writing for a living?

If you ask the average person, many will say that they want to author the Great American Novel or a book of poems or essays. But have they put pen to paper?

Our world is teeming with people who are writing online via blogs, newsletters, articles for webzines, news sites (or fake sites). You may wonder why to even try to break into the pack and lead the hunt.

Others are penning books and eBooks in countless genres. How do you decide on your lane?

Can you trust your instincts to write what the world needs to read?

Do you believe in yourself? Can you stay focused to finish what you’ve started?

Show of hands?

You have a driving passion to put your stamp on the world with words. There is merit to it – to let people in on your thoughts about your chosen topic.

To know that you are writing something you are excited to research or a topic that you just want to give your opinion on somehow makes the writing so much fun.

Time speeds by because you have captured the essence of your being – you write about what you love. And it’s so much fun for a reader to see that in you.

You could be a blogger focusing on cats, or coffee, or the world of Cosplay, or how to help others wade through finances in your (choose a decade 20s, 30s, 40s …). You could write about the types of fishing lures that work best in the lakes of the Upper Mid-West.

Let’s play a bit of a game. Who can name 10, 15, 20 songs from the 1980s? Or 1990s. See, you can write a blog about that. You don’t have to create a definitive list – and it can be as subjective as you want. The point is people will read it because it is of interest to them.

We are not all Stepford people out in the world. We have varied interests and I believe that it’s these interests that keep us focused as we move through our days.

You can be dealing with a work project and run into a snag. A block. Your mind goes blank as to how to proceed. You’ve lost FOCUS.

You may decide to take a 10-minute break to stand up and move around. When you reach for your phone, you start scrolling through sites and find an article on songs to pick you up when you are down. You start to wonder what songs are on the list.

*I love lists – especially history or pop culture-inspired lists. They make me happy. But I digress.

So, you are glancing at this list, snorting as you see some silly song that your sister used to sing repeatedly at you when you were younger when you realize: Holy Cow! I just got an idea about my work project. And rush back to finish that thought before it dissipates into the ether.

That’s how I feel much of the time. I know of no science behind it other than anecdotally hearing stories of how when you let your mind wander, many times the answers to questions or problems bubbles up due to releasing your subconscious to do the work.

It changes and many times enhances your focus on the task at hand.

Find Your Voice in Your Surroundings.

You may live in a city, usually bustling with cars, bicycles, pedestrians. Or in the country with long rural roads just begging to be driven by you. Perhaps, you are in a neighborhood with many families and friends who congregate around weekend barbeques.

And now things are quiet. Or at least quieter than they’ve ever been.

If you are someone who thrives on the constant flurry of activity and sound, it must be hard to focus on your writing now. If you are used to it being silent, it might just be another day at your keyboard.

No matter how your writing life is taking shape right now, know this.

You’re not alone in your loss of focus. Because while you may be able to cobble some words together, they may not represent what you want to say.

Shifting focus is not a bad thing. It gives you a different side of the prism to look through.

Give yourself an out.

Take a breath, heck – take a nap. Go for walk by yourself, somewhere new. You will find that when you take yourself out of your comfort zone, you will adapt to the changed situation in ways that, though foreign, will also be welcome.

Stop trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Meaning – things are different outside your window now. Embrace the newness. Don’t force yourself to be exactly who you were a few months ago. You’ll find that adapting to new ideas and opportunities will come naturally once you do.

Finding your focus can be easy or difficult. It’s all in how you face the task at hand. Are you willing to make a change in your routine?

You’ll be glad you did. Believe me, it helps to think about other things in order to get back on track. Crazy? Yep. True? I think so. Your focus will come back and then your words to share with the world will follow.

Try it.