Noise
One of the hardest things about being a writer, for me at least, is making myself stay focused on the story when there are ten million other things whirling around in my head.
The kids go to the sitter during the day because I can’t write when they are here, so I can’t use them as an excuse for not meeting my goals. I focus better when it’s quiet, when there’s no TV, no kids, no DH around, but even when the house is quiet, I have the place all to myself, things intrude.
My own thoughts, worrying about promo or bills or whether or not the monster will need to have his tonsils out, worrying about an upcoming vacation, a disagreement with a friend, whatever…it manages to keep me distracted when I need to be working.
The only way to block it out sometimes is just through force. Drag myself away from the internet, drag my thoughts to the story, and just focus. During the day, it’s my work time. Blocking out all the other noise is sometimes the only way to get the work done.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:13 am
I need quiet, too. When I was younger I could write with background music but as age creeps up on me I need silence, damnit! Our neighbour’s lad had a drum-kit for Christmas so every day at random times I get treated to at least half an hour of shattering noise (he only seems to know one ‘tune’ as well). And as soon as he kicks off, I find it hard to settle again, and start looking for distractions around the house or online…
March 6th, 2008 at 2:28 am
I have to have music playing. I find it actually helps to get me in the zone. I guess because it masks all other noise going on. The kids are gone all day at school but we have the highway out front that never stops, but it’s all part of normal for me. If there was no noise I’d think something was wrong and then I’d be worrying about what it could be.
March 6th, 2008 at 8:13 am
I need my Ipod on. The constant music drowns out all the other noise. I have been better with this challenge, because I am making the effort to lock myself away everynight and write.
FYI - Both of my children had their tonsils out and it was the best decision that I ever made.
March 6th, 2008 at 8:28 am
It depends, for me. Sometimes I need music; sometimes I need quiet. Lately I haven’t been able to write to music, even though I used to use it all the time.
Apart from that, I definitely need quiet. No TV, no people trying to talk to me… Normally I can get that kind of quiet fairly easily, but then there are the times when I sit down to write and immediately the dog pukes right behind my computer chair.
Worries are harder to keep out. But if I manage to get the words to flow, the writing helps block them out for a while.
March 6th, 2008 at 9:07 am
I really need quiet to write too. Both physical quiet and emotional quiet. I love music, but when I’m listening to it, I really listen, and that pulls me out of the imaginary world of my story.
I also find it awfully hard to concentrate when my mind is full of other ’stuff’. Very much like you, Shiloh, I find it hard to focus if I let myself get caught up in internet surfing, promo, blogging, all that sort of thing. It’s like mud, and I get stuck in it and I can’t move forward with the writing, and it’s hard to pull myself out of it.
I’m feeling a bit like that at the moment, and I need to give myself a damn good shaking to get out of the mud.
March 6th, 2008 at 10:29 am
I use a software program called Temptation Blocker. It’s what I call my shiny blocker. LOL. It can block out any programs I ask it to for as long as I ask it to do so. It’s free. And I can get out of the block by typing in a 20 or 30 digit code they put up for me. It also tells me when I’m done. So if I’m writing for 50 minute stretches with a 15 minute break between. At 50 minutes the message will pop up and I get up, move around, and think about my next section.
It also gives me a time to grab a snack, check in with the family, get a drink, surf the internet, chase the toddler around the house for a giggle catch me session, etc. Then I’m back again. I turn it back on and there I go for another 50 minutes.
I tried four hour stretches and they exhausted me. Two and Three hour stretches had the kiddo clamoring for my attention. So the hour on, 15-20 off keeps everyone happy and I get a lot more done.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
30 hours without an internet connection *shudder* proved that my combination of ‘work-a-bit, surf-a-bit’ makes me more productive. Odd, but true, lol
March 6th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
LOL. I panicked when I lost internet.
March 6th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
I have to have silence! I’m such a princess these days that I can’t even write when my husband is in the house! How sad is that?
I also need to clean my desk before I write. I’m strange. But yeah, I’m like Shiloh. I need to block everything out if I want to write.
March 7th, 2008 at 4:44 am
I need music to block out other noise. If I’m on my own it’s ok if it’s quiet (unless I need to get into a particular frame of mind and I’m all ‘fluffy bunnies’ instead of ‘gung ho action’)
I do a lot of writing, at lunchtime, in the student cafe at my place of work. Sometimes I have to compete with their CD (usually the same one, over & over again) sometimes it’s just necessary to drown out the conversation which, for all that it’s a small room (and by extension can’t fit *that* many people in) it gets insanely noisy in there. Lately I’ve been listening to Nickelback because they’ve been the best at drowning out everything. (Of course, this means that in about 10 years I’ll be deaf and won’t have to worry about noise anyway!)