Peevish
The topic this week is peeves while we write. You can ask my husband. I'm the world's most peevish person when it comes to what I need and don't need for quality writing time.
I used to be pretty simple - a good soundtrack, a computer, and a great idea were all I needed.
Now? Not so much. It'll probably be easier to tell you what I CAN'T have when I'm writing than what I *must* have when I do.
I'll start with my biggest peeve - someone looking at my screen. That's right. Nothing will make me dissemble faster or turn into a screaming authorbeast faster than someone peering over my shoulder, trying to read while I spew words on the screen.
Here's a scene that's happened ALL TOO OFTEN at my house:
Me, typing away: He hungrily touched her, forcing his thick-
Husband: *peers over my shoulder* Hey. Whatcha writing? What's that guy doing to her?
Me: AUUGHHHAAAAGHHH. Go away! Go away!
Husband, doing the Nelson laugh and pointing: Ha ha.
Me: I hate you.
Husband: Are they having buttsecks? You're writing buttsecks!!
Me: AUAAGHAAAAAGGGHHHH.
Husband: *snickering*
Me: *dying slowly and painfully here* Please, go away. Please. Please. Or you will force me to delete my file in embarrassment.
Husband:Ha ha. Buttsecks.
I'll then spend the next hour trying to cover my screen with my hands at the slightest sound, and cursing his general existence. I don't know WHY someone reading over my shoulder bothers me so much, but it completely takes me out of the zone and makes me utterly self-conscious. And once I'm rattled, I can't get the groove back. I usually give up for a while and then re-approach the computer later.
Another thing that bothers me now? Music!
I absolutely cannot have music playing when I write now. I used to love it, but now I get distracted all too easily, and my favorite song will sometimes make it into the manuscript inadvertently. My husband likes to listen to 70's and 80's metal very loudly as he works on the computer. I don't know how many times I've accidentally typed in "Has he lost his mind? Can he see or is he blind? Can he walk at all,Or if he moves will he fall?" I only really notice what I'm doing when the hero sticks his little 'Iron Man' into the heroine. Whoopsie. Time for a rewrite.
So, silence works best for me now.
And let's not even get started on the internet. I don't know how many times I've sat down to write recently and been distracted by a LOLcat or a meme. The internet totally feeds my A.D.D. and I can find that I might sit down at the computer at 7pm, but by the time 10pm - and bedtime - rolls around, I've typed nothing but "HA HA U GUYS DID U SEE THIS?" in chat.
Ideally, I think I would like to write in a bubble. Can we make that happen?
Tell me that I'm not alone. Share the things that absolutely derail you as well.
ETA-Apologies to Melissa, who commented and we had to delete because this post was goofing up the HTML. Sorry sorry!!
I used to be pretty simple - a good soundtrack, a computer, and a great idea were all I needed.
Now? Not so much. It'll probably be easier to tell you what I CAN'T have when I'm writing than what I *must* have when I do.
I'll start with my biggest peeve - someone looking at my screen. That's right. Nothing will make me dissemble faster or turn into a screaming authorbeast faster than someone peering over my shoulder, trying to read while I spew words on the screen.
Here's a scene that's happened ALL TOO OFTEN at my house:
Me, typing away: He hungrily touched her, forcing his thick-
Husband: *peers over my shoulder* Hey. Whatcha writing? What's that guy doing to her?
Me: AUUGHHHAAAAGHHH. Go away! Go away!
Husband, doing the Nelson laugh and pointing: Ha ha.
Me: I hate you.
Husband: Are they having buttsecks? You're writing buttsecks!!
Me: AUAAGHAAAAAGGGHHHH.
Husband: *snickering*
Me: *dying slowly and painfully here* Please, go away. Please. Please. Or you will force me to delete my file in embarrassment.
Husband:Ha ha. Buttsecks.
I'll then spend the next hour trying to cover my screen with my hands at the slightest sound, and cursing his general existence. I don't know WHY someone reading over my shoulder bothers me so much, but it completely takes me out of the zone and makes me utterly self-conscious. And once I'm rattled, I can't get the groove back. I usually give up for a while and then re-approach the computer later.
Another thing that bothers me now? Music!
I absolutely cannot have music playing when I write now. I used to love it, but now I get distracted all too easily, and my favorite song will sometimes make it into the manuscript inadvertently. My husband likes to listen to 70's and 80's metal very loudly as he works on the computer. I don't know how many times I've accidentally typed in "Has he lost his mind? Can he see or is he blind? Can he walk at all,Or if he moves will he fall?" I only really notice what I'm doing when the hero sticks his little 'Iron Man' into the heroine. Whoopsie. Time for a rewrite.
So, silence works best for me now.
And let's not even get started on the internet. I don't know how many times I've sat down to write recently and been distracted by a LOLcat or a meme. The internet totally feeds my A.D.D. and I can find that I might sit down at the computer at 7pm, but by the time 10pm - and bedtime - rolls around, I've typed nothing but "HA HA U GUYS DID U SEE THIS?" in chat.
Ideally, I think I would like to write in a bubble. Can we make that happen?
Tell me that I'm not alone. Share the things that absolutely derail you as well.
ETA-Apologies to Melissa, who commented and we had to delete because this post was goofing up the HTML. Sorry sorry!!
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