Distraction Free Writing

Some people need to be somewhere without any distractions to get their writing done.

I am not one of those people. Instead of getting different results based on my environment (some people can only write at their desk, pretentious people can only write in coffee shops), my ability to write depends largely on my mood.

I’m generally in one of two moods: either one of production or one of consumption.

Right now I’m in a production mood. I’m spitting this post out like it’s bad milk. I could go on, but I won’t, because I already wrote two headlines in the margin for this week’s New Yorker cartoon contest and I’m going to submit them once I get back to an internet connection.

Right now I’m also sitting in a cabana in Lorento, Baja California Mexico. My dad and I rousted ourselves out of bed at 3:30 a.m. this morning to fly down and observe an occultation, which, for those of you too lazy to click on the Wikipedia link, means that an asteroid passes in front of a star, temporarily occulting it (obscuring it from view).

In other words, a star blinks.

Other times, I’m in a consumption mood. No matter how much I stare at a distraction-full or distraction-free screen, no matter what kind of blazer or eyewear I put on, I’m not going to get anything useful written down.

The only thing I can do is give up and read until inspiration strikes again.