Writing can be a very solitary occupation.
I find if I spend too many days in my office by myself, I go a bit nuts! So, I often head into Byron Bay or
Bangalow (another beautiful little village near my house) and write in a café.
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| Bangalow |
I find I can screen out the noise and chatter around me very easily. This way I still feel part of the
community and the constant stream of freshly brewed coffee is also good. My local
library is another great place to write and I’ve even set up shop at a picnic
table by the beach. The sound of the waves is such a joy.
But there is one part of the story I can’t
write in public. I can’t write those sex scenes when surrounded by strangers. I’m
always worried someone will read over my shoulder and get a shock, or I’ll
blush and people with wonder what I’m up to!
How about you? When you are working, do you
like the solitude or do you operate best in the midst of the action?
Solitude. My radio is on when I'm doing administrative stuff, but it's off when I'm being paid per hour to edit/type reports/books/etc. (as I listen to dictations in my home office).
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked in an outside office answering the phones, typing letters, speaking with customers, etc., the radio was always on. It was our way of keeping up with what was going on in town, and we could relay information to customers as need be.
I love the radio - Laney. Radio National is my favourite but I really only listen to it in the car.
DeleteHi Jennifer
ReplyDeleteI do love the sound of where you work that is such a beautiful part of Australia and it is a long time since I have been there :)
For me when I went to work it was pretty much chatter and noise all the time I worked in a club and when I was on the floor the sound of those poker machines could be deafening :) These days I read with music in the background
Have Fun
Helen
Reading with lovely music in the background sounds like bliss, Helen.
DeleteJen, usually I write alone and I love having silence in the house while I visit another world in my head. I find the worst thing for my concentration is people walking behind me - it really interrupts the flow, especially if it's an intense scene. Having said that, I've written (admittedly not love scenes) in cafes, beside a public pool during swimming class and even at an indoor children's playground where the noise levels were so high it became white noise.
ReplyDeleteYes, people walking behind you can be distracting, Annie. Very impressed you can work in a kid's indoor playground!
DeleteI can't write the sexy bits in public either! Very worried about giving someone a shock if they look over my shoulder haha
ReplyDeleteMost of the time I write at home, alone and in the quiet. But every so often I'll write in public if I need to get out of the house or if I'm travelling and passing time at an airport.
I know, Stefanie. Can you imagine someone catching a few words of our sex scenes? Could make for an interesting moment!!
ReplyDeleteI'm another silence-is-golden gal. I find it hard to lose myself in a story when there are voices nearby -- they distract me too much. For the same reason I can't work with the radio on. However, I LOVE sitting in a cafe to brainstorm an upcoming scene or character or plot problem -- coffee, people-watching and idly making notes about my book is a great combination. :-)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Jen, your village of Bangalow is gorgeous!
It's fun that brainstorming stage, isn't it Michelle.
DeleteYes, Bangalow is gorgeous. I'm so lucky to live in this area surround by so many cute villages.
Like my twinsy, Michelle, I need silence to write. But I can edit in cafes etc and should make it a goal to do more of that to get me out of the house!
ReplyDeleteSince the kids left home and I dont do outside work, I rarely leave these 4 walls!
:-)
Editing in a cafe sounds like a good idea, Amy. If I don't get out of the house I go a little crazy! Particularly when it is raining heavily, like today.
DeleteAdd me to the close-the-door brigade as well. I'm far too distractible in public and tend to use those times for plotting/planning and/or editing. But to write new words I need to disappear into my quiet corner of the house and then into my head.
ReplyDelete(But if I had the gorgeousness of your locals, Jenn, I'd likely want to write in the community.)
If I am doing paperwork I want total peace and quiet at home, with the cats in a bedroom so they can't help me.
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried writing in a busy situation, Jennifer. I'm sure I'd be distracted big time, but maybe I should give it a go as the isolation is a drag at times.
ReplyDeleteI think currently you can add me to the at home quiet brigade when it comes to writing. I put that down to the fact that there is always noise around me at work (I do work in a call centre after all). I have a feeling if I didn't work in that environment, I'd go a little nuts without noise. I do know when I was working towards my degree I needed the TV on or music in the background, primarily as white noise.
ReplyDelete