I need silence when I write

I need silence when I write. I used to be able to work with the television going because I could ignore the noise. As long I could not see the pictures, I could ignore what the actors or the talking heads were saying. I cannot do that any more, when I hear the television I have to stop whatever I am doing and watch.

writing distractions
people talking or singing
on television

I have not listened to a radio in several years, but I think it would be as distracting as the television. It is interesting how I have changed since I turned fifty. I know that before my fiftieth birthday, I could still listen to television or a radio without becoming distracted. I am not sure when this change occurred, but it was sometime between my fiftieth and sixtieth birthdays.

writing distractions
interrupt mental focus
and the plot is lost

Over the weekend, I attempted to write a poem while the television was on. I turned it on because I thought the house was too quiet, I thought I needed to hear some noise because I felt lonely. The noise did not help the feeling of loneliness and it did not help me to write the poem. I finished the poem, but only after, I turned the television off. That is when I realized I felt as lonely with the television on as I did with it off.