Blogger: Rachel Zurakowski
Location: Books & Such Main Office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Another article I found from the Monitor on Psychology researched the dedicated memory needed for writing. Dr. David Galbraith, PhD, found in his study that distracting writers with spatial memory tasks, like asking them to trace a Velcro strip with their free hand, resulted in less ability (by about half) to plan an essay than those who were foot tappers (a kinetic task).
Spatial memory is the dedicated memory responsible for recording information about one’s environment and its spatial orientation. This is the memory that is taxed when your surroundings change. So if your children are coming in and out of your office, or you can overhear conversations and people around you, or if your dog won’t stop barking, your ability to write and generate ideas is significantly impaired. You probably didn’t even need this article to know that, but the study gives validity to the need of a quiet writing place or time that is as distraction free as you can possibly make it.
In the second study addressed in the article, which was done by Dr. Kellogg, PhD, writing is shown to use many facets of your working memory, too. He says that, “Even something as simple as making an agreement between a subject and a verb puts a demand on working memory.”
Writing involves much more of the brain than you might think! You need to be able to concentrate more than just your working memory on the task.
So next time your dog barks at you while you’re writing, you can tell him it’s been clinically proven that he needs to leave you alone. 🙂
External distractions take away my ability to write even these blogs, which are only a few hundred words. I remember from my college days that my brain would actually hurt after trying to write an essay in a classroom–a distraction-filled environment.
Is it obvious to you when your mind is distracted during writing? Do you think your writing suffers because of the time/place you’re choosing to write? What could you change to lessen the distractions in your writing life?
I know many authors love to have certain soundtracks playing as they write. Others flourish in an upbeat, active place like Starbucks.
I’m not one of them. Give me absolute silence, especially in the creative phase.
But writers are a quirky bunch.
Great post! I’m like Teri. Absolute silence is ideal. If our neighbor’s dog is feeling chatty, I’ll even wear earplugs. I write in style! 😉
It’s such a delicate balance and a mystery even!
Once I’m “in the zone” nothing distracts me, but getting there can be like crossing a minefield where you aren’t sure you’ve reached the other side until you are firmly there. Aaaarrgghh!
Background instrumentals (low), a cup of something and no expectation of a doorbell ringing or friend arriving or appointment to keep helps, but it’s not an exact science.
Silence, please.
I am new to your blog and I’m so glad I found it! As a clinical psychologist and a writer of both nonfiction and fiction, I am very interested in this topic. For the many years I’ve been a writer, I have found that, for me, writing involves being transported to another place and time. The real world recedes as the sounds, sensations, and sights of another reality come to light. That’s when the words start to flow. In many ways, it is like a waking dream. And just as in dreaming, when the real world intercedes, the experience is rudely interrupted. Which is why a quiet environment is so essential. As a person with Muscular Dystrophy, writing is a golden opportunity to escape the ties that bind and be free–for as long as the real world allows!
HA HA! I know this all too well, with three little children.
I do have to say, you adapt. If I only wrote when I had uninterrupted time, well, I’d never write anything. So I adapt. I can write, take a short break to help a child, then continue on. I’ve always been able to slip into the writing world without a whole lot of preparation, so where as it sounds WONDERFUL to have uninterrupted writing time, it’s just not my reality.
That said, the few times I do have the house to myself, I always take advantage! And, I get a ton written!
For me, it definitely depends on what state my work is in. When I’m procrastinating in a scene, unsure of what comes next, dreading a certain plot turn, the little things start bothering me. Sometimes I get to a point where if my apt. isn’t clean, I can’t sit down and even begin writing. If I’m at a place where the words are pouring out and scenes are flying, they could be doing construction next door and it won’t stop me!
Very true! When I was homeschooling and running a home business, I told myself there’d be more quiet time when the kids were grown. But I’m finding that other things fill the void. I try not to think of them as “interruptions.” They are real life. What I write is imaginary, and I need to experience what’s real so I’ll have something to draw from. Besides, time is even more precious when it’s shared. So I end up writing in the wee hours of the night when the house is quiet. I can close my eyes then and let the movie play against the screen on the back of my eyelids and write furiously. Fortunately, I am a night owl by nature, but I do admit that the need for more sleep occasionally catches up with me.
Steady background noise is fine as long as it isn’t music videos that I want to see…LOL. Other than that, silence is the golden ticket for me. I work full time and have a husband and two kids when I get home, so that silence is rather hard to come by. When I get it, I protect it! Most nights I’m forced to try to plug out some wordage while the TV is blaring and my husband is talking and pointing out this or that. I try to work out my scenes in my head during the day at work (yeah, I know…) and that gives me something to go with amidst the chaos when I get home. Not an ideal writing situation, but until I’m getting paid to do it full time that’s how it rolls! LOL!
I know for sure that I miss naptimes… those few hours when the house was quiet and I could just focus on my writing. Now I have a toddler who wants a snack or some music or a book or a toy and, like you, I find it hard to even write a blog post, much less a novel or article. 🙂
Great post again Rachel!
I wonder if soundtracks and working at coffee shops can still work for many writers because we tune them out and retreat into a writing bubble — so they’re beyond the spatial and don’t require any mental tasking – what do you think?
What I found interesting was the mention of kinetic tasks. Perhaps that’s why taking a shower and while driving are two biggies when I hear writers talk about getting ideas (I’ve always wanted a waterproof white board for the shower). But I guess it also means I shouldn’t stop my son from whistling and pencil tapping when he’s doing homework…well, unless I’m working too. 🙂
Enjoyed this. Thanks Rachel!
I’m with Cindy… give me the energy of a Starbucks! Quiet kills! I’m utterly non-functional in a library. I need people, action, noise, shiny things…
Until the deadline approaches. Then, I hunker down in my office, turn off the lights, lock the door, brew some coffee, fire up Pandora, and let the writing juices flow.
I work shifts so use earplugs often. My most effective ones were custom moulded from a kit, they’re far more hygienic than foam ear plugs and last for ages. It’s far cheaper than having your ears moulded by a professional; I would definitely recommend them to anybody who uses them regularly.