A day in the life of advice-guru-cum-novelist Po Bronson, via the Wall Street Journal‘s “Work Spaces” column (sub req’d):
Desperate to drive off distraction, this best-selling author takes his notes, laptop and kitchen timer into a 3-by-4-foot “isolation chamber” made of poured concrete. He shuts the accordion-style door, flicks on the space heater and dons his headphones — hitting the repeat button to blast the same song over and over again. Finally, he sticks cellophane tape to his eyebrows, so he won’t absent-mindedly pluck them out.
“Anything is easier than writing for extended periods of time,” explains Mr. Bronson, who wears flannel to keep warm. “Anything can break your concentration.”
Hmm. Maybe we came down a little hard on the guy last month. As an apology, we have some lovely eyebrow pencils we could send him.
UPDATE: According to our readers, Po claims to suffer from trichotillomania, an impulse control disorder associated with the porn industry obsessive hair removal. Thanks, WSJ, for providing the quote without any un-freak-ifying context.