I'm currently unable to respond to comments on this blog. I apologize to all who have commented on recent posts. In some cases, I have replied but the comments and replies don't show up on the main page. Thank you for your patience as I try to find an answer to this annoying problem.
Thank you,
Sandra
Cross My Heart Writings & Reviews
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
IWSG: The Sound of . . . Writers!
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a website media business with affiliates to enhance our service to visitors. We are a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support. Visit IWSG to learn more about this great writing community!
IWSG posts the first Wednesday of every month. It's a great writer's resource that I'm sure you'll find well worth your time. Be sure to stop by and visit with other IWSG Members.
The Sound of . . . Writing!
The holidays are upon us along with all the hustle and bustle and chatter and clatter! What a glorious season . . . unless you're trying to write. Which leads me to thinking about writing environments and what works or doesn't. I know many of you thrive on writing in places that are anything but quiet - coffee shops, a corner of your dining room table with family around, etc. - all those places where there are always, at the very least, sounds of life. I envy you the ability to tune it all out and get lost in your writing world! Truly I do. As for me, I need complete silence in order to concentrate on writing as I find any "noise" highly distracting. I've often wondered what is wrong with me. Why can't I be the oh-so-chic author sitting in Barnes & Noble or Starbuck's or wherever, typing away - churning out the pages while shoppers cruise the bookstore or chat over coffee all around me? I want to be that person, but background sounds invade my head and hijack my thoughts, leaving me frantically searching for the illusive words lost somewhere out there in never, never land. Even when shut in my office, background noise that bleeds through - like television or family conversations - completely pulls me out of my writing bubble. I've come to the conclusion that I have a one-track mind and am one of the people from Simon & Garfunkel's Sound of Silence!
However, while I can't actually write my story with any background noise, I can and often do plan and write up character profiles to background music. Music not only puts me in the mood to write, it also helps me set the tone while roughly outlining plot lines. Certain songs inspire me, giving insight into characters and showing me who they are and what motivates them. I find it interesting that I can plan to background music and yet am totally flustered with any kind of background noise when writing. Go figure!
So tell me - in what type atmosphere do you do your best, most productive writing? To the Sounds of Life or the Sounds of Silence?
However, while I can't actually write my story with any background noise, I can and often do plan and write up character profiles to background music. Music not only puts me in the mood to write, it also helps me set the tone while roughly outlining plot lines. Certain songs inspire me, giving insight into characters and showing me who they are and what motivates them. I find it interesting that I can plan to background music and yet am totally flustered with any kind of background noise when writing. Go figure!
So tell me - in what type atmosphere do you do your best, most productive writing? To the Sounds of Life or the Sounds of Silence?