Yeah, my last project taught me that lesson.

Index cards, really? My high school English teacher swore by them too, but is it worth the extra step for a short story?

Wait, but if we bring in the writer's life, isn't that moving away from the text? How do we keep the talk friendly if we're guessing about their aims?

Got a cheap portable monitor once for the same reason. The screen was so dim I had to sit in a dark corner just to see it, which totally defeated the purpose of working in a cafe. Ended up selling it for half price on Facebook Marketplace just to get rid of the thing.

Jennyh41, I kept my hands under the table to stop fidgeting and it really helped me focus.