Focus?

How focused are you when you write? Do you need perfect quiet? Do you need a clear desktop? Can you close a door and shut out the rest of the world or even just your own household?

I grew up in a large family, four sisters and two brothers. The only desk in the house belonged to my dad and none of us were allowed to use it. I usually did my homework sitting on the floor or on the sofa. The TV would be on and my brothers and sisters would be around doing their own homework or arguing like siblings do. I learned early on how to tune out what was going on around me. It served me well through high school and college when I could read and study no matter what was going on around me.

As an adult with four children, I think I've grown in my talents of concentration. Entire conversations go on around me, sometimes directed  at me, and I might never hear them if I'm reading, writing, or working on this blog. And on the flip side of that, I actually work better when I have a little noise to ignore. I almost always have a movie, Netflix or a DVD, running in the background when I write. (Season 1 of Hell on Wheels right now) I concentrate better. My early training I suppose.  I do tend to pick a video that will fit the mood of what I'm writing. The Marine's Heiress is in a pretty dark, dangerous place right now.

Don't forget today is the official release day of James Garcia's Seeing Ghosts. Check out his facebook page. 

Today is also the last day I have to actually teach at school. The next four days are just babysitting and clean up. A few of my classes choked me up as we said our goodbyes last Friday, but I managed not to cry. Mostly I've been smiling a lot.

How are you at focusing while you write or read? Are you lucky enough to be able to lock a door and leave the world outside? Do you ever set the mood for what you're writing with music or a movie? Do your family or your friends ever get irritated with you because you tuned them out when you're reading or writing?