WoW - Peering Over Your Shoulder
How do you feel about someone lingering over your shoulder while you’re trying to write? Personally? It makes me nuts. The other night, the little darlin’ had to do a report for school, and after I’d downloaded the information she needed and she completed the report, she hung around and was reading over my shoulder while I was managing to get in a couple of paragraphs of my latest WIP.
At first I tried ignoring her. I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted to continue my story and I should have been able to shut out everything but that portion. No dice. Having that little presence tap-dancing behind me finally made me nuts. I had to give it up. I could not write with her in the same room. I have to be able to concentrate on what I’m trying to say and just having her in the same room was a huge distraction.
So, I guess having a door on the office is a good thing. Some writers have to have privacy and quiet in order to create. You cannot have a young child asking constant questions, reading over your shoulder or … for that matter … even in the same room with you while you try to work. Don’t know ‘bout you, but I find that I’m easily distracted.
February 8th, 2010 at 7:05 am
Sometimes I have a hard time writing with just my CAT in the room. (On my desk, purring and kneading, staring at me. Walking in front of my monitor. Jumping on my lap. And more. Eeek!)
And there’s my dog, who barks crazily when she sees something outside. Anything. Sometimes I think she barks at leaves. Too much racket to write through.
If I feel bad hurting the feelings of my cat and dog, I can imagine how much worse it would be locking a child out.
February 8th, 2010 at 8:49 am
Oh, I got that look from the little darlin’, Edie. She doesn’t quite understand the whole focus/concentration thing.
This is one of the main reasons I write so early in the morning. No distractions other than of my own making.
The cat tends to leave me alone.