Saturday, January 9, 2010

Quiet! Woman Writing.

Okay, I'm (almost) totally linked out for this week. I have no lists or recommendations. There's only one thing on my mind: the work in progress.

Today and tomorrow are writing days. Darling husband is playing bridge this afternoon and all day tomorrow, so the house will be quiet.

I love quiet.

Quiet is the early morning in my neighborhood after a heavy snowfall. Quiet is a Snowy Range mountain lake in Wyoming before tourist season begins. Quiet is my house when I'm here alone.

Some folks write to music. I don't do that because I stop whenever I hear a song I like and I listen, sometimes singing along. I've been known to hop up and dance when Cyndi Lauper belts out Girls Just Want to Have Fun. The last time I had a long writing session scheduled, I even noticed the rhythm of pounding hammers as workmen installed a new roof two houses from mine. I was distracted every time the beat changed.

Some people write with talk radio or television cable news as white noise. Not me. If there's a debate or discussion, I listen to it.

Some writers work in a coffee shop. I can't do that either. I listen to nearby conversations, listen to what customers order, listen to the music playing in the background.

The only noise in my house at this moment is the hum of my computer and the click of the keys. Those are sounds I can handle.

Now you know how I'm spending my weekend. What do you have planned?

8 comments:

Jeanie said...

I'm like you, easily distracted by all that is going on around me. Good luck on using your quiet time to the best advantage.

Unknown said...

Every day is just about the same here.

Today's difference: My daughter and kids visited ... and left. I took a nap. Now I'm going to play solitaire after I read blogs.

Jemi Fraser said...

I like to have a background hum of noise - whether it's music or tv. When it's totally quiet I start wondering what's going to happen next - maybe too many horror movies or books in my youth :)

Mason Canyon said...

I usually have to have something in the background - music, a TV or just a movie I've seen over and over. Even when I'm reading I like to have something on. I guess I'm a little like Jemi, too many horror movies for total quiet. Good luck on your writing.

The Old Silly said...

Quiet is good. I like quiet.

The Old Silly

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I've gotten so used to writing around racket (i.e..children), that I can't write when it's quiet anymore! Sigh...

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen

Patricia Stoltey said...

I have to admit that too much quiet in the evening, especially if I'm home alone, can be a problem. I never watch scary movies when I'm alone. Yes, The Shining, is a hard movie to forget.

Since I write in the afternoon, however, quiet is a blessing.

Jan Morrison said...

I don't mind either way...if I'm in the zone I just block out the noise, if I'm not - the wheels turning in my head are like a heavy metal band.