Writing While Being Watched

Something I find particularly difficult, is writing while being watched. I’m not quite sure why this is, but it’s really difficult for me to articulate my thoughts when I know somebody is looking at me. I wonder if this is a problem that many writer’s experience?

It’s quite an unusual thing, really. What difference does being watched make? It’s not just being seen writing which bothers me, but if somebody can literally see each word that I write, it gives me an instant writer’s block. It’s weird because I’m quite happy for people to read my work once its finished (hence why I post it publicly online) so why do I need to be left ‘unwatched’ in order to produce it?

I guess the best theory I can come up with, is that I need to focus all my mental energy on writing and if somebody is watching me, I am focusing energy on the other person and preparing to respond to them. It’s a little bit frustrating when a lot of people are around and I’m trying to get something written.

Curiously, it’s much less difficult to produce commercial content when I’m being watched. It could be because writing is quite a personal thing and I don’t quite like to have my soul laid bare in front of somebody – when I write commercial content, there’ll be much less “soul” in it, so it’s much less personal and therefore easier to do.

Anyway, I just wanted to write about that today, as I found that it was very difficult for me to start writing this until I was by myself – annoying, but I got something out in the end.

(Don’t miss today’s Finger Puppet Show!)

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