Closing Your Eyes While You Type

This is meant for people who are writing articles, blog posts, essays, journals, books (nonfiction or fiction), or really anybody who writes on the computer. Sometimes what stops us from writing what it is that we intend to write is the fact that we spend too much time staring at the words in front of us rather than think about what we are writing about.

What this does is create writers block. For example, you might get excited to write the first three sentences of your new article and think that since it only took 10 seconds to do, the article will be a zip to write. But after you put that last period on the sentence, you stare at the sentences you’ve written for the next 10 minutes before getting distracted by something else.

This happens to me all the time and sometimes what helps me through these types of small writers’ blocks is simply looking away from the screen or closing my eyes while I type. I remember what one my creative writing professors in college told us that some people writers write well by turning off their monitor screens, so they are looking a black screen, and then typing. Seems pretty crazy at first, but I wouldn’t suggest doing so is insane since it reminds me of a piano player looking at nothing while pressing on the keyboard.

I think the purpose here is that when you spend too much time looking at the words you have written in front of you, then that is what you are putting your primary focus on. Sometimes I find it really helpful just to close my eyes and type or even look at a wall while I type. When I’m looking at a wall or any object, my focus is not on the object. I just let my eyes drift there while my thoughts take over, which allows me to type something faster. It also helps restrain eye irritation as well, giving your eyes a breather.

Now some people may think, “Wait if I don’t look at the screen, I will make a whole bunch of grammar and punctuation mistakes!” That’s true, but one’s worry should be about the quality of their writing first. In terms of quality, what I mean is what being said and conveyed to the reader more than having correct grammar and punctuation. That can be dealt with later. This is content over context.

I used to be a copy editor for my college newspaper and although it might sound like a cool name, all the position required one to do was to go through newspaper articles and correct grammar and punctuation mistakes for hours. For example, you would be the person who goes through thousands of words to seek out that missing period. Not so fun… and by all means I’d rather be working on the content of the newspaper.

The point is that whether your close your eyes, stare at something else besides the words on the screen, or just turn off the monitor screen, what you are doing is letting words from the mind flow freely outside of you without worry what is right or wrong at first. You’re just getting things out and re-fixing them later.

This brings a quicker connection between what’s going on inside your head to what is being put in your word document. The only interference there is are the actions of your finger, since we do not have a device yet that allows us to put words on paper with our mind.

So try it out. I notice that when I have problems with writers block. I just look away or close my eyes and type. I find that this helps me focus better because when I close my eyes, I am more in tuned with my thoughts. I just spill them out on the keyboards. Then afterwards, I look up to correct any grammar and punctuation mistakes. Hopefully, writers, this can help you speed through the first paragraphs or the last sections of your blogs, articles, or essays.

Tristan Lee is a writer who enjoys helping others with self-improvement and personal success. Read more of his self-improvement posts at his blog, http://www.tristanleesblog.com/.

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