"The ideal view for daily writing, hour for hour, is the blank brick wall of a cold-storage warehouse. Failing this, a stretch of sky will do, cloudless if possible."
~Edna Ferber
In other words, we need to minimize our distractions. Any view or room or cubbyhole can be an ideal writing spot, as long as it is free of distractions.
As a mother of three, that is a pretty tall order for me. We all have distractions, though,whatever they may be. It's a matter of recognizing what they are, and then finding a way to work around them.
How do you deal with the writing distractions in your life?
P.S. Carol @ Carol's Prints is extending her Arcs Galore giveaway until Wednesday the 8th. There is still a chance you could win, so go enter!
22 comments:
Don't know about that brick wall, but I'm definitely all for minimizing distractions. My desk is a computer cabinet, so, in essence, I spend my writing time locked in a little box. But there are windows behind me whenever I need a breath of fresh air!
Haven't been dealing too well with distractions lately. Have experienced the 'summer of distractions' but looking to get back on track for the fall. I plan to limit little things like checking email and to start blocking out chunks of time solely for writing. If you see my name on the bestseller list next year you'll know it worked. lol
Happy Labor Day:)
Karen
My biggest distraction? My month old son. And his not yet two year old brother. So right now, it's a struggle finding enough time to sleep, let alone write. But I'm trying!
Ha! If you find out, please let me know!!!
I get most of my writing done after everyone else has gone to sleep.
Send them to bed? hahahaha
This is a good one!
My writing partner, Anjie, is a singleton and needs complete silence to write.
Me, I'm the oldest of 8 kids! So I can write with little people jumping on the couch beside me. But not with revising. With revising, I can't have any movement, any sound.
One word: headphones. And then I can focus on whatever I need to without all the extraneous stuff around me. Sometimes it's my escape and sometimes it's my prison. Today? An escape. :)
I think the Internet and email are huge distractions. If I shut them off, I get more done. Otherwise, I keep wanting to open those windows and then it's a slippery slope.
Step by step, some days are much EASIER than others. I find reading someone else's work helps me out as well!!!
You look awesome in your Candyland T-Shirt!
Writing with a cluttered or loud area would throw me off.
I've been having a hard time fighting off distractions this summer. Hopefully with the start of school, things will get a bit more routine.
Thanks for the heads up about the book giveaway. Some interesting books listed.
Have a great day!
As a mom and a teacher, I've learned to focus in the middle of some pretty bizarre situations. I just tend to lock out everything else and fall into the story. :)
Honestly, I don't deal well with distractions. I have attention deficit disorder, so I'll get distracted without even noticing it. But I do try to minimize distractions when writing, usually by moving to another room in the house. If hubby is playing video games too loud or the proximity of the bookshelf is too tempting, I'll find a spot where there's nothing else to do but write. :)
Tell you the truth, it's hard when my kids are around!
Awesome quote.
I love your new avy pic.
Yes, and when I finally land that book deal, with a healthy advance, I'll be able to buy my dream home, which comes complete with a room set aside solely for my writing adventures.
Maybe I should leave out the picture window with the view to the ocean though.
Maybe.
.......dhole
I bet all writers struggle with keeping distractions at bay.
When I'm working on a rough draft, nothing stops me. But for editing, I like being alone, listening to music in my living room. Now that school begins tomorrow, I hope I get time to do just that.
Oh man, so hard to do with a family, isn't it? Distractions are endless. Makes me wonder how we do it?
P.S. Thanks for the mention, sweets!! <3 <3
After my children are in bed!
I eat more chocolate. It doesn't help much with the writing, but it makes me feel better. =D
Only early in the morning or late at night after the munchkin is in bed.
I just signed up for NaNo though- I think I'm going to take a notebook with me to work so I can jot down scenes during my prep period when I don't have papers to grade. (Which is like NEVER!)
Post a Comment