How To Write Without Feeling 'Watched'

Can you write while feeling 'watched'?

And I don't just mean physically being seen, as in, sitting at a coffee shop and there are people around watching you write (though I'm talking about that too).

I mean when you're home alone, at your desk or table, ready to get in the zone, but you can't write properly because you can feel too many eyes on your page.

I've seen this phenomenon reflected in a lot of the how-to-write literature I've read. Take The Artist's Way for example, which talks about 'blurts' as being these little voices in our head that tell us our writing isn't 'good enough'.

Well, this 'watched' feeling is something like that.

It's anytime you go to the page and you start thinking too much about what everyone will think, or how they'll see what you're writing.

You might get worked up about the piece being 'good enough', and start to hate everything you've put on the page.

Not necessarily because you dislike it yourself, but because you're imagining hateful eyes looking over your shoulder.

So as writers, how do we confront those eyes?

Can we avoid feeling watched while writing?

This whole question of feeling watched while writing came to me a few days ago while writing Part 2 of a scary short story I'm working on.

I already knew at this point that I had troubles writing 'in front of people'.

My partner and I have a very clear understanding for when I'm going to write, that we cannot draw attention to it whatsoever, and that I must not be perceived while writing.

(This is often why I do most of my writing in the very early mornings, while they're still asleep).

...but this was a different kind of 'watching' challenge, because I knew that people had read Part 1 of the series. Not only that, but many of them had commented that they were excited to read the next installment.

And while I had been walking on cloud nine for a day or two knowing there are people out there not only reading my work, but wanting more, when I sat down to write Part 2 I suddenly felt all of their eyes on me.

These were people who I knew were supporting me, who have said they like my work, and yet their eyes paralyzed my pen on the page.

So how did I break through?

How feeling 'watched' can sometimes be a good thing

I know this is an old trick in the writer's book, but it is one that has helped me time and time again to keep writing even when I'm feeling eyes on me.

It is to make the eyes friendly by writing for one person who you are confident without any doubts will love that you're writing.

Because while I can't always tap into the 'zone' and get away from the eyes completely (because I can forget them when I'm really in it)...

...I have learned that if I 'humanize the eyes', picture an actual person in my mind, and write ONLY for them, that I can actually get excited about writing.

The blurts go away. The mean eyes go away. And all of the sudden I'm ten years old just creating fun stories for my friends (or in the case of the scary stories, my paranormal-loving mother).

The seriousness goes away. The pressure goes away.

And finally, I can just write.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Want to read the short story series that inspired "How To Write While Feeling Watched"? Click here.