How many times have you been completely captivated with an absolutely perfect scenario coming alive in your imagination, to have the telephone ring or a knock on your door obliterate that delicate vapor?
If you dare consider yourself a writer – whether it be considered simple or cryptic pentameter of a poem, or a thousand pages of complicated thriller – you’ve likely experienced these types of interruptions. Even if you take careful and meticulous notes, it’s easy to lose that moment of divine inspiration.
Have you also noticed that these interludes always manage to arrange themselves to occur at the precise moment of the apex of that specific creative moment?
I’ve heard these creative moments aptly described as the construction of a house of cards, but I believe it goes much deeper into a writers psyche and is far more delicate. I also believe that even well meaning repetitious interruptions can be destructive to long-term creativity.
An oversimplification would be the scenario of Pavlov’s dogs and ringing bells. If your apex of construction is regularly interrupted, it may be possible to become expectant of an interruption even when none presents itself.
If your writing environ is for example the family kitchen table, then there are no expectations of privacy, focus, or concentration. The cellphone will ring, sing, buzz, and vibrate every thirty minutes to an hour. Your spouse or children will wander through making reasonable demands of attention on a regular basis.
If you only write casually, or for your own personal enjoyment, then this type of setting may be perfect for you.
However, if you belong to the less than 1% of total population with the lofty desire of an enduring career dependant on your writing skills, then you may want to consider some retreat away from daily (or hourly) interruptions to rekindle those pivotal moments of genius.
If you can’t find the seclusion you need in your home, you’d be surprised to find how many buildings and organizations in your home town have vacancies at little or no cost for someone needing a private setting to gather their thoughts.
Happy Writing,
DP
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