"Q" is for Quiet

I'll be honest, I can't write with noise.  I need peace and quiet.  Is that too much to ask for?

Sometimes, yes.

"HEY! Look at me!"

We have two cats who demand attention (loudly) if they don't get it (see this comic from the genius mind of Matthew Inman at The Oatmeal for a visual), and if I'm in the middle of an awesome scene, I don't particularly want to rub cute little cat tummies.  Any other time, yes, the tummies are irresistible.  But not when I'm writing.

Having a husband is also an automatic +10 noise factor.  Just by existing, he's noisy.  Just to clarify, because I'm aware I have a lot of male readers, I'm assuming this would be the same with having any human roommate, and, to be fair, I can tune most of what he gets into out like he's a giant white noise machine.  But not his Xbox 360.  No.  Not that thing.  For whatever reason, some weird part of my subconscious tunes in and listens to every gunshot, scream, and random Xbox Live trash-talking conversation between 30somethings living at home and 15 year olds who have higher voices than I do.  Why?  I have no idea.  Closing my office door doesn't seem to block out the sounds of Call of Duty: Revolutionary War: Washington vs Cornwallis  (yes, even though I have a vagina I am aware there is no such game; that is supposed to be a joke), and after much griping, bitching and moaning on my part, he now wears headphones.

Those things are a godsend.

But, to get away from every auditory distraction and demand on my attention, I'll often take off and head to the super-awesome library in the neighboring town to get some writing done.  They have free WiFi and I can do research while I'm there, but no one to bring me a turkey sandwich when I get caught up in what I'm doing, so it's mostly a win-win.

I'm also aware that some writers take inspiration from listening to different types of music as they make their way through scenes, while I'm only inspired to bang my head on the keyboard to drown out the noise.  I never write with music.  Well, that's not completely true.  I did work on some of my funnier blog entries to Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, which is not funny at all.  Go figure.

I love music, I really do.  But I find it distracting, and the voices in my head aren't nearly as forthcoming if I'm drowning them out with something else.

How about you?  Do you write with music?  If yes, what?  If no, why not?

xoxo Sarah

"G" is for Gaga

My "G" for the A-Z Blogging Challenge is for Lady Gaga.  I could have done "grammar" or something else that starts with a G that's writing related, but since I'm going to see her in concert tonight with my dad, she's the only thing on my mind right now.

Whether you're a fan or not, you have to give Lady Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) credit.  She says what she wants, dresses the way she wants to, and stands up for what she believes in.  Whether she's wearing a hair bow, a meat dress, horns on her head, a lethal-looking outfit, or arriving somewhere in a giant egg, she marches to the beat of her own drummer and is proud of it.  She's unashamed to be herself.  


She's also quite the songstress, writing (or, at the very least, co-writing) her music and singing live in her concerts and other performances.  She pours her heart into her craft, and it shows.  Part of what I like about her being so genuine is while she puts out pop music (which I love, but some people think can't be socially significant), it makes the connection to her so much stronger.  She adores her fans (affectionately called "little monsters") and encourages them to be who they are.  And the themes of self-acceptance and universal rights that run through her songs and even what she's said in interviews and at her concerts are good ones.  Her song, Born This Way, is about being yourself and being proud of who you are because, well, you were born this way, baby.  It's one of my favorites of hers.    


I find her "this is the way I am, so either accept me or don't" attitude to be a refreshing one, and I try to incorporate it into my life as much as I can.  Even as a writer, it's sometimes surprisingly hard to just be yourself and do what's right for you and not for everyone else.  I'm not going to change my writing or the subject that I'm writing about to make something more socially acceptable...it is what it is, and I'm happy about that.  Editing issues aside, of course.


Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find some pork chops, chicken wire, and glitter glue to wear tonight...  


xoxo Sarah