: Re: How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions? I’ve been a writer for fifteen years, five as a full-time writer, and still haven’t figured out how to

@Kimberly114

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As a quick preamble, note that I am not a professional writer, and therefore I am not speaking from experience.

From the sounds of it, you've tried the sensible approach. I'm going to assume that there are some people among the group that you can trust not to bother you during a work day, though, even if they are not in the majority. My suggestion then is to Silence your phone and get some good sound-canceling headphones.

You need to establish solid boundaries, and if people aren't willing to respect them then you do not have to respect them.

However, shutting yourself off in isolation entirely is risky if there is an emergency. Most modern phones allow you to selectively silence your phone for ALL callers EXCEPT a specific set. You can assign the people you trust not to bother you to that specific set, and group-block everyone else while you are working.

This may seem extreme, but you've tried the normal approach, and people were not willing to heed your requests. I would let everyone know that you will no longer be available at all while you are working, and leave it at that. You don't need to give details about what specific method you are using- for all they know you are actually out of the house.

I would note that this method obviously falls apart completely if you ever waver in your conviction.

I hope this is useful in some manner. Best of luck.

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