Sweet Tea I don't know why, but I need tea. If I have water, soda... anything else, it just won't work. And if the tea is luke-warm, that just won't do, either. It has to be either ice cold, or hot. There is no in between.

Fuzzy Socks Unless it is summer, fuzzy socks are the bomb. My feet tend to be the first part of me that get cold, so fuzzy socks are both nuzzly and warm and keep me from having to go retrieve a blanket, so I can sit for a longer writing session.

Ambient Noise It actually doesn't matter what it is, but I have to have SOME kind of noise around me. It can be the television turned down low, or music, or even a particularly loud fan.

A Snack Jolly Ranchers are pretty much the awesomest thing ever, when it comes to writing. I like the squishy ones, the hard ones... doesn't matter as long as it is jolly and it would take care of cows as a profession. I love them.

No One Talking to Me If someone is talking to me, I can't write. I simply can't. I guess my brain composing narrative while following a conversation just doesn't work well. Not at all. I get a little snappy, admittedly, when someone is trying to hold a long conversation with me when I am trying to write or read. I have to be conscious enough to put the writing or reading aside, even if I already have the sweet tea and fuzzy socks.

1. Figure out what is distracting you. This is hard to pinpoint, at first. For me, I just really needed to start noticing.

2. Once you figure it out, fix it. If you can't focus with the television or when you have music with words, try without words. If you get hungry or thirsty, make sure you have that handled before you sit down to write. If you get sleepy, take a nap first. If you can't stop thinking about the dishes being undone, finish those. Etc.

3. Write! That's it! Once you have everything settled, your brain shouldn't have anything else to focus on except the writing.