Um... (peeking over shoulder)

Thanks to smaur for the password tutorial; I knew there was a way to password protect things, but I didn't know exactly how. Parents read my stories? Yeah right! It's embarassing. Like so many other people here, I'm skilled at closing things I don't want them reading and I've become creative/inventive in hiding printed documents.

[alt]+[tab] is your best friend.

If you really don't want people reading your work politely -- politely -- explain to them that this is something that is very private and maybe you'll let them read it once it's been edited. Explain that writing anything is like writing a diary; they wouldn't read that, would they?

Well ..... I agree that [alt]+[tab] is my best friend.

It's just that if something is laying around, people can't help but read it. I just make sure that doesn't happen.

just quick write down the premise and idea of your thought, then late, when you have little time, write little snippets of it. Then, after everything is finished and you just have to sit down and connect the snippets.

At home I have no problem with anyone looking at my work becuase no one really cares or knows what I'm doing (i can barely get ideas most of the time at home though). However, when I go to boarding school I can only really do it during designated prep time, when it's quiet and no one is meant to butt into my cubicle (note i said meant). Annoyingly, I have to do prep as well and I get my brainwaves in this time. And music does really help, especially if it's in a theme like the part of story you're trying to write. e.g. sad songs for sad parts.

prep is our homework, we're not really at home though.

The password tip was great, I wasn't even aware that was possible with Word documents. Muahaha. Not that there's anything particularly sensitive that I'd rather my parents not read, but the fact is that they always seem to want to read it. Sometimes writing just feels too personal/unfinished/unformed yet to be generally accepting of that.

(Then again, Meep, my parents have already informed me that they reserve the right to read my diary if they feel that 'something's up' - one more reason not to keep a diary. )

(... which is why LiveJournal has a "friends only" or "private" option. I love my LJ. ♥)

Don't force the writing. If you do that, then the story will stink.

I can't advise you about the parent issue. I have my own room, so even though I'm home-schooled same as you, I don't have your problem. And anyway, I tell my parents that I feel a bit reluctant to let them see my stuff, and they understand fine.

-Twit

Meep wrote:(... which is why LiveJournal has a "friends only" or "private" option. I love my LJ. ♥)

... Only sound logic if they don't figure out how to turn the Key Logger program on. ^_~ Which is why pieces you don't want your parents to read should be written in Czech. Or French. Or in the margins of your calculus homework, disguised as theorems and proofs.

*shifty eyes*

Though I find that Grif's landmines work just as well.

ShadowTwit wrote:Don't force the writing. If you do that, then the story will stink.

I can't advise you about the parent issue. I have my own room, so even though I'm home-schooled same as you, I don't have your problem. And anyway, I tell my parents that I feel a bit reluctant to let them see my stuff, and they understand fine.

-Twit

Homeschooled too. The two writing comps are in the living room, so no privacy, though I do ask people not to hang over my shoulder. Writing is the process that makes me feel to be someone else- and if that stream is interuptted prematurely, well...let's just say some eardrums could do without it...

Dreamy wrote:Which is why pieces you don't want your parents to read should be written in Czech. Or French. Or in the margins of your calculus homework, disguised as theorems and proofs.

*shifty eyes*

haha, Dreamy. Everyone throw your hands in the air for margins!

My parents used to be politely curious as to what I was writing all the time. i just made nondescript grunts and gestures. Eventually, I read them 4 or 5 carefully selected poems, and now they never ask. Once and a while they'll make some bothersome comment on how I should submit it places, but I just shake my head and walk away.

But yeah, moral of the story is this:

Show your parents just enough of your work to satisfy their curiosity. After that they should leave you alone.

OK, do you guys have nosy parents, or are mine just nice to me? Or are you simply paranoid?

Our computer's in the living room, but I generally have enough privacy when I'm writing, unless Dad needs the computer, which is pretty much whenever he's home. Also, because I'm homeschooled, (yay homeschool!) I can just claim it's for school, and I get left alone. I tend to be semi-open with what I'm doing, too, (once I've gotten a reasonable amount of work done), so they aren't suspicious. And they tend to listen to me, so #7 usually works for me.

If it's really personal, though, I definitely use the password feature on Word without hesitation. But, if you do that, you MUST REMEMBER the password!! If you don't, you can't get the document back! I once put a password on a story, came back to it about a year later, and it took me forever to open it! I tried everything I could think of. I finally did remember-- after five jillion attempts. Then I found where I wrote the password on a day or two later.

Anyway, good luck w/ your nosy/paranoid parents!

Nosy parents? Nah. My dad doesn't even know about FREAK, or even the title. It's kind of funny, actually.

My Mom knows almost nothing about my writing. Now that I'm in school, I have pockets of time during study halls or lunch to write.

(HOLY CRAP! You guys dug my post up from, like, a year ago. *feels old*)