The wind tapping on the window as if asking to enter. The whoosh, whoosh of the dog’s tail volleying across the carpet, as she nudges my knee, begging for affection. The cat’s angry mewl demanding a meal. The steady hum of the fan keeping the house comfortable, interrupted by the sputter of it turning off and on, when the thermostat signals the temperature is to high or too low. The chatter of human voices, from the TV with the sound turned down low, my second Lord of the Rings DVD playing for the thousandth time.
This is the musical backdrop for my writing. Music distract me, I use it to dance to lift my mood or give in to my happiness. I can’t write with it on.
I function best in silence with the quiet, ordinary sounds of life providing the white noise in the background. If that doesn’t work, I turn on a movie I’ve seen so often I can recite the dialogue by heart, and just let I play. I may lift my head for a glimpse of a favorite scene, or when searching for a word or emotion, but mostly it fades into whirr of my writing routine.
How about you? Is silence a help or hindrance when you write?
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Yep, I’m with you, Shari. Routine household and neighborhood noises are the best background for my writing.
Glad to hear it. So many people share their writing playlists, and I feel like I’m missing something. But music will pull me away, not let me get away. Thanks for dropping by, Alina.
White noise helps. If I do happen to find myself attempting to write without some music, there’s always some noise. The low hum of my space heater, the soft snores of my dogs that all lay around in my work space. I like something because it helps with the focus.
Thanks for dropping by, Meka. We all have to find our own ways to manage our writing space, and what white noise works best/
I like silence when I write, too. I couldn’t even have the DVD playing, though – I would be following the conversations!