Do you need silence when you write?

It has to be quiet for me.

I have a kid - it's rarely quiet. That's what gives me such a hard time. Quiet - or seriously on a rant. Either one works.

Actually I find it easier to write while listening to music.... It sort of motivates me if that makes sense. Sometimes though, I need a bit of silence to write but it works well this way.

Nah, I don't care. Music, people, crowds. I used to write on the friggin' Greyhound bus, and in bus stations. When I'm focused, I can just tune it out.

I write epic fantasy romance. Jackhammers would definitly be a hindrance when I need to cross realms, as do my 'moderns' into ancient Alba...or the cities leagues below land dwellers.
May I suggest music--an MP3 player? On the weekends, when the kids & their dad are annhilating one another on Halo, good headphones plugged into computer or MP3 with appropriate music (Pan's Labrynth soundtrack, Loreena McKennitt (any), LOTR soundtrack....you get the gist), I turn it up, and can't hear life outside of the current realm I'm needing to submerse in. This helps during the week, to set the mood as well, though I don't have to worry about headphones, as it's just me during the day, and I presently live in a remote village in Germany.
If not, find crazy guy with magical remote, and pause life outside yer' window until you get that chapter out!

kb

I prefer background noise when I write, not usually music though. TV or something.

I prefer peace and quiet so that my train of thought doesn't get derailed. I can tune out, too, but my family can't. They're very persistent and apparently unaware that just because I'm not typing, doesn't mean I'm not thinking--thus working.

Total silence drives me crazy.

But someone banging stuff around would disrupt me, too.

I enjoy music while I work.

Let me put in an addendum here...It's hard for me to tune out the rest of the world...that's why I put on the headphones and listen to music If i'm watching TV forget writing... I might squeeze out a few hundred words...

I have to have silence, but I got used to using earplugs, which helps a lot.

Deep at night: Yes.

During the day: No.

I need noise of some sort. Total silence distracts me. At home I usually listen to music; when out and about, ambient conversation works just as well.

I don't need complete silence, I can deal with background noise to a certain degree. I draw the line at jackhammers! But I've found certain music (classical, stuff like Loreena McKennit or Enya) really helps tune out irritating background noise. Can I say, I love my iPod?

The one thing I cannot stand is being interrupted. My one roommate just doesn't get it, and is always interrupting me, wanting to tell me the latest joke she got in her email or something.

Do I need silence? No.
Do I CRAVE silence? Yes.

I sometimes have to drown out ambient voices with lyricless music, but the quieter the better. I didn't really get anything done today because I was trying to write an important death scene and all the while there were TV ads blaring and people singing about coconuts and trying to converse with me about things like shopping and school and I just about lost it. But I didn't. Now I'm just really pissed that I didn't get anything done.

I'm SO jealous of people who have their own home offices.

One day/time/mood:

No matter what's going on around me, I can just sit down and write.

Different day/time/mood:

No matter what's going on around me, I can't just sit down and write.

no

Silence

I love isolation, solitude, and silence, but I can write equally well with noise all around me. Doesn't matter one way or the other.

I prefer either silence or the gentle hum of my hard drive. I don't like writing with music. But, if I'm focused, I can handle the general noise of the other people in my house, as long as they're not talking directly to me, or fighting, or whining.

I need silence for my work writing, but for fiction, music usually helps me block out the annoying noise and concentrate. There does come a point at which the neighbors' racket is too much, but generally I can manage.

It depends on the noise(s).

I prefer quiet, but don't need absolute silence.

White noise is okay, and by that I mean the hum of conversation in the background, say in a cafe or somewhere else in public.

But if it's music, I tend to sing along and get distracted. Also I don't like hearing specific conversation. That's good for when I'm people-watching, but not when I'm trying to write.

I prefer to write with music on but I've gotten used to writing at work. Phones ringing, people talking, television on, radios blaring at me. Nothing phases me anymore.