28 comments

1. As a writer with cats, let me tell you, this is a pain I know all too well!

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   1. I feel your pain 🙂

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2. I totally know what you are talking about 😉 Walking across the keyboard is my cat’s favorite hobby.

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   1. Haha, I’ve returned from the bathroom to find the piece that I was working on has become a jumble of letters and numbers. Thank god for the ‘undo’ feature.

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      1. Yes, indeed;) Good luck with finishing your project.

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3. Oh!! I Hear you! In the end I had to sprinkle some paprika arond my laptop! (giggles) My cat Freya hates it when it gets on her paws and now she thinks twice about it and just sits by my feet doing that meowing of “me, me ,meee!” I also dicovered that’s what headphones are for! I love her to pieces but she’s everywhere I go. I tell her “Sleep” sometimes….That’s what ‘normal’ cats do 😉

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   1. Paprika? Wow, I never thought it that. Good idea! Thanks 🙂

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      1. Lol that’s how I stopped her from jumping onto the dinner table and kitchen counter tops… Somehow I just don’t find cat hair in my food that yummy! ;-D

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4. Jeepers actually eats and shreds paper. Not because he wants to be played with, but just because.

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   1. Oh yeah, I’ll have to do another series on Reilly’s destruction – he loves eating paper too.

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5. My wife and I love your cats. My wife is into cats. We had at one time ten cats. But they got old and passed on. Now we have four inside cats and one outside cat. My wife is a sucker for lost kittens, people in trouble and anyone she can help. She has great empathy for people. I on the other hand am just cynical and pragmatic. But since I love her I let her rule.

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   1. I would take home every kitten I see, but my husband has a rule : there can’t be more cats than humans in the house. 🙂

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6. Hi Tracy. Some of the best advice I ever received was to just write from the top of your head…no stipulations, no restrictions, no criticism. Then, step away for a while and come back. In essence you can “read what you were trying to say,” and then go from there.

   I used to be very worried about doing assignments “right” in grad school. As long as the assignments were logical, clear, concise, well thought out, and according to the directions, then there was no “right way” to do them.

   I hope this helps. In my opinion, taking the pressure off can invite the creativity. Almost like inviting a friend to stay a little longer or being a host to your creative side. The pressure can “scare” away this side sometimes. Hope that makes sense. You have to let this side take the reigns sometimes with less structure. The structure can be applied later with final touches.

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   1. Thanks for the helpful advice 🙂

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      1. Not a problem. There was a point in my life where I couldn’t even turn in my work because of writer’s block. Now, I let my creative side “take the wheel.”

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7. Three things. First, I laughed out loud that you think perhaps you can’t accept your “shitty first drafts”. I don’t know why it struck me as so funny, but it did. Maybe because I wasn’t expecting it. Anyway, somehow, I’d missed the original post on first drafts, but I read it and agree with it. Now I know what I write initially.

   Second, while I don’t have cats I can sympathize with pets thinking they belong on or near you while at the computer. I have a mini-Schnauzer named Norman who’s come to believe that he’s a lap dog. He doesn’t realize that 20 pound dogs don’t qualify 🙂 I have a picture but I don’t know how to post it here, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

   Lastly, just wanted to say that I always look forward to your posts and that you’re one of my favorite bloggers. Have a great fourth, Tracy.

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   1. Thank you so much, Dave! That really means a lot to me 🙂
      I seem to always surprise people when I curse – I guess I don’t seem like the type…but I don’t give a sh*t 😛
      I hope your dog gives you some space this holiday weekend, or at least loses some weight.

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8. I totally get it. Plato used to love to type. The only problem is he never learned how to spell.

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   1. Haha! I’m sure he was good at philosophizing as well.

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9. Aww loved your post. Your lovely cats made me laugh. Lisa 😀

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10. lovely cat! 🙂 she’s got the character!;)

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11. Whisky does the same thing. He loves resting right on the keyboard. And God forbid if I try to write on paper: he literally eats it! Your kitties are gorgeous, by the way.

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    1. Thanks for sending me the picture. That really cheered me up during the bee incident!

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12. Maybe you will have to put them somewhere else where they can not interupt you when you write. I love looking at your kitties. I miss having one around.

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    1. It’s funny, I get annoyed with Marla when she sits on my keyboard, and yet, I find it even more distracting when she’s not around. Can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them! Thanks for reading my blog 🙂

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13. The first draft of anything is shit. Ernest Hemingway said that, so it always sets my mind at ease when I behold my first attempt at any piece I’m writing. I wish I had two such beautiful excuses to not behold that first draft… Hope you had a lovely 4th.

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    1. Thanks for reading my post 🙂 I hope you had a great weekend too. Mine was eventful, but I’ll be writing about that soon.

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14. Pingback: Putting the pieces together: a tip for writers | The HeSo Project

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