Fannish Fifty Challenge: Post # 36: fanworks amidst distractions

[ride_4ever]

This is directed to fanworks creators and fanworks consumers who, like me, have trouble with writing or reading in the midst of distractions.


I have VAST (Variable Attention Stimulus Trait) which makes it hard for me to write fic or read fic in environments where there is noise and activity around me. It is best for me to do my writing and reading in a solitary and quiet environment. I can't always get that...and I'd like to hear from others in similar situations who may have developed coping mechanisms that allow them to engage with creating fanworks or consuming fanworks in spite of a less-than-ideal environment.

Comments

[corvidology]

Shooting ear muffs. As in ones designed for shooting.

[ride_4ever]

Thank you kindly! Great suggestion! I'm going to try these or something like them!

BTW, have you ever done shooting practice on a range where you used ear muffs like these? (With writing some police procedurals I've often thought I should get some shooting range experience to inform my writing about shooting.)

[corvidology]

Long ago and far away.

As you know, we have very strict gun laws in the UK and I'd never seen one in person* before moving to the States for grad school where one of my flatmates' sisters was a deputy sheriff and I went to the range with her a couple of times out of curiosity.

*Strict gun laws but one of my close friends was the daughter of a farmer so I'd seen his shotgun.

[ride_4ever]

Well, even though I have always lived in the States, where we have those less strict gun laws, I have never seen a gun "up close and personal" except in the holster of a police officer or a licensed security guard. I have never seen someone in person actually holding a gun. Did you do shooting practice yourself when you were on the range with the deputy sheriff?

[corvidology]

Yes, yes I did. It helped that the flatmate's sister and I became very good friends and through her I became friends with a homicide detective and the assistant pathologist.

I was told I did okay for my first time -- I hit targets, probably helped that I studied archery -- and the detective complimented me on not blinking when I fired the handgun. He said that's one of the things that makes him nuts in movies is when supposed crack shots blink every time they fire.

I elected not to return although I was invited. Guns are definitely not my thing.