Embrace Your Attention Issues: Terese Ramin Interview

The bar. Again.

I met Terese Ramin at my first writers' conference. Chicago-North RWA Spring Fling 2012 to be exact. I was loitering at the bar waiting to register. I noticed Terese's conference badge, and struck up a conversation. She was presenting at the conference. We spent most of the evening laughing, talking, and getting to know each other over fries and good beer. 

Terese is gracious, encouraging, and supportive. She is also has ADD/ADHD, and is a successful novelist, and editor. She very kindly agreed to do an interview for this blog.  I have enjoyed Terese's books.   This is the link to Terese's Amazon page.   Her biography follows the interview.

1. When were you diagnosed with ADD/ADHD?

 Terese: **I was officially diagnosed with ADD in 1996 when I took my son for diagnosis at his high school’s request. I took the test with him to be supportive.

2. Was there a specific event that caused you to seek a diagnosis?

Terese:**My son’s high school requested that he be tested (and put on medication).

3. Do you think having a diagnosis helped?

Terese: **Yes, it helped *me* realize what had always held me back / been “wrong” with me, and why there were “bad conduct” marks on my school records. Girls didn’t have ADD/ADHD when I was in grade school.

4. Have you faced any discrimination because of your diagnosis?

Terese: **No. As an adult, the only people who know about my ADD/ADHD are those I choose to tell. And since being ADD/ADHD affects my entire life, I let people know. My son, on the other hand, didn’t want people to know, didn’t want to take meds, etc., because it would have labeled him in high school as “one of those kids” who got called out of class to take a prescription medication. We worked with his ADD/ADHD in other ways and, boy, am I glad! He’s very successful as a teacher now.

5. How did you organize/ focus yourself to write books?

Terese: **When was first diagnosed, I saw a therapist who gave me suggestions to help keep me focused – creating a CD that looped with the question “Are you on task?” played at 5 and 10 minutes  intervals.

I also used a CD called High Focus that essentially plays white noise. It was highly effective, especially played softly. I also used guided meditation and a couple of “In the Zone” CDs that are used to help athletes maintain focus while they work out.

6. What is the biggest challenge for you when writing a novel?

Terese: **Oh man. <G> For writing a novel, I need to get to the place in the book where I can go into hyper-focus. Hyper-focus is something I’m good at – as long as I’m being stimulated by what I do, or as long as what I’m doing is a relatively simple, repetitive task (I’m a great editor due to hyper-focus, and I’m pretty good at detail work – as long my brain doesn’t decide the details are boring.) Boredom is my biggest problem.

Another thing that works is for me to be able to get up and wander around doing simple, non-thinking tasks as I write – taking care of the laundry, loading the dishwasher, dusting, etc. Those are things I hate to do, but when I do them during the process of working on a novel, I don’t have to come out of the “zone” or the story to do them. Doing simple tasks allows me to daydream the next line, paragraph, or scene, and return to the computer able to write a few more pages.

7.  Are you an Outliner or Pantser?

Terese: **HA! I wish I could outline a novel or create a beat sheet, then just fill in the blanks on the pages. The moment I start to do that, my brain screams “lunch!” and refuses to budge – it’s that boredom thing or the restless ADHD thing kicking in: an outline causes me to tell the story to myself, which means I’ve already written it, which means “bored now” when it comes to trying to write all 70-85,000 words.

To counter this, I give myself a blurb to remind myself where I need to get to from here, post that on the wall where I can see it, and slowly make my way toward the end goal: a completed novel.

8.  How do you handle the distraction of the internet?

Terese: **Badly. I have a routine of getting up in the morning, handling my email, reading the online news, doing a little Facebook / Twitter / social media to keep my name out there, but that means I also use up my best creative time. I might be finished with all of those internet things by 8 a.m., but then the dogs need attention, there are dirty dishes that need attention, the laundry needs to go into the dryer, etc. It would be far better for me to revise that routine and start with writing, but it takes a long time for me to create a routine that works for me. It’s much easier to fall back on the routine I have. The bottom line is that I’m much much more productive if I follow a daily routine, but creating the right routine takes thought and discipline that I sometimes don’t have.

9. Do you think that it would have been helpful to be diagnosed at an earlier age?

Terese:**Possibly, in today’s climate, yes. Back when I was growing up? Maybe – at least then my parents and teachers would have understood the reason for why I was the way I was. But being diagnosed earlier – especially back in a time when using ADD/ADHD medication properly was still pretty new – might also have meant being medicated, which brings up a whole new world of issues.

10. What advice would you give writers struggling with attention issues?

Terese: **Embrace your attention issues. I look at my son who’s always done seven or eight things at the same time – and that worked for him. When he was in school, if he wasn’t listening to at least one sporting event, playing the guitar (or the bassoon, or something), reading a book, talking on the phone, trolling the internet AND doing his homework, I knew he wasn’t getting his schoolwork done. He’s never needed to be medicated and I’m proud of the man he’s become.

But I also look at the way he innately handled his ADD/ADHD and I realize that my own process of staying in the zone by doing housework while I’m writing is much the same thing. I just need to “stay on task” get back to that routine.

 I hope that reading Terese's interview inspires you to start writing if you haven't and to keep going if you have stopped. 

Biography:

Terese Ramin is the award winning author of eleven novels and numerous short stories. Her autobiographical essay, “Two-Puppy Theory”, is included in the anthology The Sound and the Furry, sales of which benefit the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The Cured, her most recent release with author David Wind, is her first suspense-thriller. Her next release will be an urban paranormal romance with writing partner Dawn Johanson.

Aside from writing, Terese works as an editor, ghost writer, book doctor, and a paranormal investigator. She lives in Michigan with her husband and a bunch of rescued dogs.

Embracing the Work of You: Ten Tips for a More Organized Life

Bucky 2009

Staying on top of your "to do" list. Being on time. Having clean clothes. Being able to find what you need when you need it. Staying on a task until it its complete. ADD/ADHD makes each of these tasks seem impossible at times. I often feel like Sisyphus, rolling that dang bolder up the hill just to watch it roll away again.

The truth is, no one ever has it all together. Everyone struggles to keep up with their lives. For those of us with distraction issues it feels like we carry extra weight on our journey.

I have a great brain for remembering every little bit of information that comes my way, but I still have to put the car keys away in the same place every time, or I can not remember where I put them.  I label the shelves in the refrigerator so I can remember to put food back where it goes, and my toothbrush has colored tape on it because I can't remember which color toothbrush is mine. Silly? Maybe, but it keeps my from brushing my teeth with other peoples toothbrushes!

 When I get frustrated with myself have to remember that most people do not contend with a brain that will drop everything to watch, and perhaps follow a stray ant that happens along. Most people can filter out the unimportant from the important. Most people would comprehend that starting that wallpaper stripping project at midnight,  just because you notice that part of it is already starting to peel anyway, might not be a good course of action.

After years of being angry and frustrated with myself, I finally decided to make friends with my brain, and to find ways to work with what I have.  If you are struggling with organization, and keeping up with events in your life try these organization tips.

1. Automate everything possible.  Sign up for E-Bills, schedule up automatic bill payments, schedule routine deliveries of household items (toilet paper, etc.),  subscribe to mail order/ automatic prescriptions refills.  Take advantage of services available. 
2. Use labels on the outside, and on the inside containers, drawers, and cupboards to help you remember what goes where and where things are.  For young kids pictures work well. The inside label system  works well for chests of drawers and helps to keep clothing organized.
3. Use a checklist for groceries. There are many free downloads on line. Find one and use it, or create your own. Train everyone to check things off as you use them.
4. Create a landing zone and have a routine for entering the house. This works for kids and adults. Create a routine, such as: hang keys up, shoes off, coats hung, bags/ backpacks/ purses/ etc hung up, hands washed. Cubbies, hooks, key racks and shoe racks work well to keep things off the floor and where you need them when you leave. 
5. Create a household task schedule. It can be a simple as knowing that every Wednesday and Sunday you are doing laundry, and cleaning the bathroom every Saturday.
6. Clean the kitchen after each time you cook. This will 1) save you money as you will not be as tempted to go out to eat, or order a pizza, and 2) provide a sense of accomplishment because at least the kitchen is clean!
7. Lay out out your clothes for the next day, have your kids do the same. This will save time in the morning, and prevent last minute scurrying around trying to find clothes that fit, and that are clean. 
8. Have a place to open mail and pay bills. Do not open mail anyplace else. Train everyone to place mail in the same place.  This system will prevent lost misplaced bills, etc. 
9. Have a main calendar for the family. Place it where everyone can see it. Use different colors for each person's schedule.  REVIEW the calendar nightly!  If you don't look at it you might as well not have one.
10. Maintain a sense of humor. Everyone misses appointments, forgets things, has to find the cleanest dirty shirt to wear, or scrambles at the last minute to get things together.  Give yourself a break and go back to your system.

These are some of the things that I do to keep my life going on a somewhat even keel. I hope they help and if you have suggestions, send them along! 

Timers-Not just for Cooking

Throw back Timer

Looking back over my posts on how to get things done when you have distraction issues, I talk a lot about using timers. I did not grow up in a home where kitchen timers were used. My mom never used one. I can't smell the aroma of burnt rice, and not think of my mom. I am not sure when I figured out that the smoke alarm was a poor excuse for a kitchen timer.  I will tell you this: using timers when cooking transformed my kitchen skills.

 For years I used the alarm settings on my digital watch, now I use the timer on my phone because it is loud enough I can hear it over the usual pre-schooler chaos in my house.  A timer does not serve you if you can not hear it.  An added feature of using my phone is the ability to set multiple alarms.

ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life by J. Kolberg and K. Nadeau (Buy the book here)  has a very good explanation of how using timers assists ADD/ADHD individuals with time/life management. I found this book at a time when I was really struggling with keeping things together, and it remains one of the most helpful books I have ever read.  My copy is well-worn and tabbed. These are some of the ways I learned to use timers and alarms to overcome my distraction issues.

 Cooking. This is the most obvious, and common use for timers.  When I don't use my phone, I have a kitchen timer that has a clip so you can clip it to your clothes, and take it with you.This is very helpful for those of us who decide in the middle of fixing dinner that some household project needs to be started/finished, etc.  I am really partial to the digital ones that count down from when the alarm goes off so if you can't get to the oven at the precise moment things are done you know how long it has been since you missed the alarm.

Laundry.  I  use a timer when doing laundry, and this cuts down on the "Damn- how long has this load of laundry been in here?!" factor, and rewashing clothes because you got distracted while doing the laundry. It also keeps the laundry moving, taking advantage of the residual heat in the dryer.

Writing. I use a timer when I do sprints, challenging myself to write 1000 words in one hour,  and when I am breaking up my writing time by devoting set times to different works-in-progress. I also set an alarm to remind me to pick up the kids. This lets me focus on my writing and not worry that I am going to be late picking them up from school. When you only have 2.45 hours of kid-free writing time you have to make every second count.

Cleaning up with the kids. We set the timer and play beat the clock, racing around trying to see who can pick up the most toys. It makes picking up the toys more fun, although it can get pretty competitive and sometimes we have to stop to break up the melee that results.

 Any task that I really do not want to do.  I set the timer for ten minutes and give myself permission to quit after ten minutes if I want to do something else. Most often, I get over myself and just finish the dang thing because I want to get it over with after I started it.

Exercise. I set the timer when I exercise so that I can focus on the exercise itself.  There are some great exercise program apps that have timers built in. Using a timer instead of counting reps for exercises allows you to work at your own pace, and tailor the workout to your fitness level. These programs also are body weight programs and do not require equipment. My favorite apps are The Seven Minute Workout (free) ,  and YAYOG ( You Are Your Own Gym- $).

There are many timers on the market for people with ADD/ADHD.  For children, these are wearable timers that look, and function like a digital watch, with the added benefit of vibration so the alarm can be discreet, and kids can wear them to school. The Watchminder is also marketed to adults/seniors. Using timers with kids can decrease the parent nag/kid resist behavior loop.

 Wearable timers designed for use by adults/kids have the ability to set multiple alarms, some also function as count-down timers, and stop watches.  These timers are great to use with kids too young to use phones, non-smart phone users, kids/adults whose phones are a distraction, and kids/adults that work in environments that do not allow cell phones.

Using timers with kids with distraction issues, organizational issues, or  ADD/ADHD is a great way to help them focus, learn to monitor their own behavior, and teach them ways to overcome their distraction issues.  Learning self-management is a great self-esteem booster for kids. For parents, using timers with kids decreases parent stress by letting kids take responsibility for their behavior.

Learning to use timers changed my life in very positive ways.  Timers decrease stress in my life. If you haven't tried using timers, experiment with them. See if they make a difference for you.

Geeky but functional.