Consuming Media & Getting Distracted by Your Own Story

[Voyeurkenneth]

Perhaps this could be said about any activity, but who else gets distracted when specifically watching a movie or reading a story, when your brain veers off trying to work out the details of own work in-progress story?

I think I’m starting to relate to the ending of Mad Men more and more, with Don Draper’s compulsion to “create” in the middle of what’s supposed to be a focused activity.

 

[Writer61]

WFH is a bugger. I should be analysing stuff, but I'm crafting stories for Literotica. At least having two computers keeps things a bit separate.

 

[StillStunned]

It happens to me when I'm listening to audiobooks. It's comforting to know that my stories are more interesting, at least to me.

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

It happens to me when I'm listening to audiobooks. It's comforting to know that my stories are more interesting, at least to me.

Interesting. How long would you say your drifts are because you plug back into the audiobook?

 

[StillStunned]

Interesting. How long would you say your drifts are because you plug back into the audiobook?

It depends. But I regularly have to go back a few minutes because I've not been listening. Sometimes I just give up and switch off the audiobook entirely.

 

[MrPixel]

No distractions. For "media", I usually have Pandora going either in the living room (three rooms away) or on the laptop next to my writing computer, playing ambience channels like Harp Twins Radio or New Age.

I will take breaks and see what's going on here or a hobby forum, and maybe check a blog I try to keep up with. Then back to work.

 

[GrantBricksly]

I used to have the TV on while I wrote...but it often distracted me.

Now, I just write in silence. Even music will distract me too much. No, I sit in my bedroom/office space, and write.

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

I used to have the TV on while I wrote...but it often distracted me.

Now, I just write in silence. Even music will distract me too much. No, I sit in my bedroom/office space, and write.

The original question was more like: if you’re watching TV, do you have moments when you drift out of focus and start fiddling with your story in your head? Like a daydream.

 

[GrantBricksly]

The original question was more like: if you’re watching TV, do you have moments when you drift out of focus and start fiddling with your story in your head? Like a daydream.

Yes, and my answer is clearly "not me, because I got too distracted by media when writing, so I stopped having media playing during writing time" hence my response.