Interruptions

Radames

Radames

I was halfway through a sentence; words were rolling off the keyboard, when the doorbell rang. A neighbour/friend just coming to say "hello". I asked from an upstairs window if it was important as I was writing, and she sulkily said "no". I returned to my keyboard, and now find I can't even finish the sentence.

My friends know what I'm trying to do, but that doesn't stop the persistent disruptions. Worse, I'm then considered the grumpy one because I don't let them in and lose at least an hour's worth of writing.

I have thought about switching off the doorbell, but then what if it's really urgent? I've also thought of renting a studio, but that seems a bit extreme.

Does anyone else have this problem that's caused me to rave? If so, have you found a diplomatic way of dealing with it?

Woll22

Dear Radammes

Not an easy one by any means, if they know what you are trying to do, I rather suspect that they are jealous of you. I am afraid as pleasantly as possible, you will have to bite the bullet and say that you have a deadline to reach.You have been on the telephone to your agent and he/she has asked for the first few chapters by a certain date so he/she can tote it around to prospective interested parties.  If it sells well, invite them in for the celebration with a signed copy or if its an article, get some copies of the magazine and post it through respective doors, thanking them for their patience. It might just shame them. Good luck!!!

Radames

That must be incredibly frustrating. I've now finished my sentence, after having had a glass of wine in the sun. That calmed me down and hopefully helped my muse as well.

SilentTony

nena even when auto save does into work Word saves all the closed files in a temp folder until you turn off Windows or after a time. I'd check your temp directory. I don't know if this is automatic but worth looking.

Joanne

My husband is doing a lot of work at home at the moment, using the computer so much that I only get to jump in for these 10 minute bursts of activity.  Then he comes in and asks "Have you finished yet?" 

Didn't we have a discussion on Talkback about ideal places to write?  I think log cabins were mentioned several times, though as I recall Stan has a garden shed for writing purposes which we were all quite envious of.

Gotta go - OH is on his way back up the stairs!

Carol

Hubby has been putting a lot of photos on the computer, his and Rory's, prior to manipulating the images to remove inconvenient power lines etc.(He's just taken up photography as a hobby after many years of not doing any.)
Then he complains how slow it is, at the moment.
Consequently in the evening it's been later and later before I get on Talkback.
I think he needs his own computer just for the photos!

Betsie

At any cost - get one each.  It's the best thing we ever did.  His is upstairs, mine is downstairs, our kids think we're mad but I couldn't cope with squabbling over the computer I like mine all to myself.

Woll22

If and when we move, ah yes, if and when, Mum is talking about getting a two bedroomed house then having a cabin in the garden if it is the right size garden that is where I will be undisturbed with all my paraphenalia. Meantime, the plan is to move me upstairs to the middle bedroom, buy a screen off my friend so that I can have some P/Q to create.

dorothyd

I've tried putting earphones on, shutting the door, working in a shed specially lined and fitted out for me, I've tried everything.  Still my daughter walks in on me, bangs on the door 'why have you shut yourself away?' and so on.  I recall Monica Dickens' daughter being asked what it meant to have a writer for a mother. The answer, 'lots of locked doors.' Oh I know that feeling but I cannot do it!

Carol

If I had somewhere where I could lock myself away to write, I would come back into the house and find wreckage, or that attempted murder had been committed.

Jenny

How about a couple of polite and very clearly printed notices (along the lines of "do not disturb"), one for the front door and one for the door of the room where you're writing?

At least, they could start off being polite!

Anyanka

Ah, the visitor from Porlock!

My most frequent disruptions are of a canine nature.  Piper the Greyhound gets bored when I spend too long a time at the computer.  Barks and pokes me in the kidneys with her nose.  Unlike the telephone and the doorbell, she cannot be unplugged or set to quiet.

I find it best to try and learn to deal with disruption. My past experience of living with small children (my own) comes in handy. Mothers have to be able to multi-task, juggle and remember what they were doing before.

Sorry, got to go - think I can smell the dinner burning.

Liz H

The telephone is the thing that anoys me most. Sometimes I feel I'm running a telephone answering service. I've tried not answering but the constant ringing before the answering machine kicks in gets on my nerves and I lose concentration and can't write...then I have a rant! my husband is very good at coming in for a chat at crucial moments when I'm writing and that's nearly as bad.

I have my own computer now as my husband attracts computer problems that no one has ever heard of and which take for ever to sort out - if they can be sorted out at all. I was spending so much time trying to get the computer working again instead of writing that I fell behind with my book and was constantly angry.

Kangaroo

Radames, have you found a solution yet?

Radames

I've thought of telling everyone that if there's a red handkerchief tied to the railings of my balcony, then that means "do not disturb". I'll see what the reaction is - they'll probably think I've lost some of my marbles!

Jenny

Are you sure you want it to be red? That colour could mislead passing strangers!

An alternative might be a system of traffic lights such as were installed outside the head teacher's office at my all-girls' school.

Green meant "come in", amber meant "wait" and red meant "go away and come back later".

This was because she didn't want anyone to catch her drinking gin - a hobby which was an open secret!

However (there's always a however, isn't there?), there was an after-school sixth formers' club to which pupils from the local boys school were invited and one week some of them adjusted the wiring, with obvious results!

Katy

I do sympathise Radames. I'm self-employed and work from home and you have to be really careful about 'managing' your interuptions. I love seeing my mum, 18 month old niece etc etc, but they just wouldn't turn up on the doorstep of a regular office now would they?! The 'just ringing for a chat' is the worst one though - I have to answer the phone in case it's a client - and then of course find my mum all geared up for a chat on the other end!

The only way I've found that works is to be very firm and direct with callers / visitors. To say that you're working now, but would love to visit / chat at such and such time and close the conversation / door immediately. They will  e v e n t u a l l y get the message, but you'll have a few more grey hairs first! Good luck!