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One way of increasing your productivity while writing is to create a conducive environment. That goes beyond the physical setting of your computer room. Writers can create a setting right within one’s computer in two ways: hide away all the distractions a computer presents, and create a restful aural ambience.
Lifehacker, one of the best productivity blogs on the internet, has discussed these strategies from time to time and has returned to the subject recently. I’d like to pull the information together here for writers.
AMBIENT SOUND
Some writers, I’m guessing, listen to music while they write. But this can actually be distracting, unless the music genre is carefully chosen. Quiet Gregorian chant and very quiet New Age music works for some. Other writers, especially those in somewhat noisy environments, turn to “white noise,” a steady sheet of sound that helps to cover up the distracting sounds. Personally, I like sounds of nature as a quiet background. Here are some free alternatives:
Atmosphere Lite: AtmosphereLite is a free downloadable software that allows a writer to choose from among a range of natural settings, such as oceans, streams, forests and campfire at different times of day. I’ve been using this for years now. I love it and can attest to its effectiveness, at least for me, in blanking out distractions. It encourages me to turn off the TV, and it generally covers up the sound of jangling phones and door bells.
RainyMood: Lifehacker has found a new option. RainyMood is a website that simply replays a 15-minute loop of a storm whenever one visits the site. It’s free and no downloads are necessary.
Live365: Another favorite of mine for several years is Live365. Essentially a catalog of over ten thousand internet radio channels created and uploaded by individuals, the range of niche music and sound is awesome. If you browse the genres, you will, for example, find 163 different channels of “ambient” music and sound, as well as 13 channels featuring choral music, such as Gregorian chants. One can listen to most of these channels for free, though the music is occasionally interrupted by an ad. For ad-free listening, one can join as a VIP member. The danger with this source is the ease of being drawn into music unconducive to writing.
Simply Noise: For free “white noise,” just go to Simply Noise. This is especially useful in more public settings with distracting background clatter. Some writers may even prefer this at home. There’s something soothing about it.
MORE: For more about the use of ambient sound, read a very full exploration by Lifehacker from several months ago.
DISTRACTION-FREE DESKTOP
Computers offer up so many distractions for writers. Several developers have come to the rescue with minimalist word processors that offer up a truly blank screen and nothing more. My previous discussion of DarkRoom and related programs remains relevant.
Creative writers may find Liquid Story Binder, both a word processor and a total writer’s environment, invaluable. The word processor has a distraction-free interface, and one can line up a playlist of your choice of music to provide the soothing sounds you need. Read my review. This program has been updated with additional features, but the review is still accurate on the features described.
And for the Mac, there’s the new OmmWriter. Watch the video demo in the sidebar [available for the next few days] or at my VIDEO FOR WRITERS collection. For a full review, check the link in the “Related Articles” below — makes me want to shift over the the Mac OS.
Related articles by Zemanta
- RainyMood Brings Rainstorm Ambience to Your Office [Sounds] (lifehacker.com)
- 10 Things to Start, and One Thing to Stop (confidentwriting.com)
- Get Over Writer’s Block With OmmWriter, A Zen Distraction-Free Writing App [Mac] (makeuseof.com)
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by MK_girl33: Create Ambience For Your Writing Sessions http://bit.ly/cv833R...
Comment by
CharlotteRainsDixon
1 Feb 2010
Wow, these are great suggestions, I had no idea about any of them. Since I live in Oregon, writing to rain is one of my favorites. I'll go visit Lifehacker on sunny days from now on….
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tomcolvin
1 Feb 2010
Charlotte, just visited your blog. What a pleasant place.
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2 Feb 2010
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Joanna Penn, NevadaGrey, Kerri Buckley, Lisa , Lindiwe and others. Lindiwe said: RT @thecreativepenn: Create Ambience For Your Writing Sessions http://short.to/155zd via @tomcolvin [...]
Comment by
Kellyann Zuzulo
2 Feb 2010
Excellent post! I'm a firm believer in greater productivity coming from the comfort and inspiration of your surroundings (doesn't mean you can't write on a dimly lit, speeding subway….just not perferable.) In fact, I'll credit the fact that I have two novellas out thismonth with the fact that I enjoy the experience of writing because of ambiance.
I write fiction about the jinn and usually have some Arabian music playing. Love the idea of AtmosphereLite…going now to check it out. Wondering if there's an app for foot massage while writing…. ; >