When I read and write, I prefer zero distraction—no music,no conversation. This is amusing to me because I can multitask with everythingelse. I can fully concentrate on driving while listening to complicated storiesor music or basically doing everything else, but not reading or writing.

When silence is not an option, my other way to do it is toblank out on the surroundings. I wrote my first book while confined in a smallspace with my parents blasting music and movies. They were there for ...