My Writing Buddy and How He Hinders My Progress

Alright, fellow writers (and cat lovers), today’s post is dedicated to the real stars of my writing process. You know—those supportive, completely non-judgmental (totally judgmental), but incredibly distracting little creatures who sit by my side as I write. Yes, I’m talking about my furry writing buddy (AKA my tabby cat – Miso).

Let’s be real here. Writing is hard enough without the added distractions. But there’s something about Miso’s presence… a certain je ne sais quoi. He’s my self-appointed editor, and he’s also really great at getting in the way of the keyboard.

1. The “I Need Attention Now”

The number of times I’ve been in the zone, my fingers flying across the keyboard, only to be interrupted by a tiny paw or a soft meow signaling: “That he needs attention, NOW!” is beyond counting. What am I supposed to do? Ignore him? Ha! You’ll quickly realize how powerful the “adorable cat stare” can be. You will stop typing. You will pet him.

2. The Catnap Interruption

At least once a day, he decides that my laptop is the best place for a nap. Forget the comfy chair… My laptop has the prime real estate. And when you have a 12-pound cat sitting on your keyboard, it’s pretty hard to continue your work without some extra characters showing up in the manuscript. Let’s just say that my characters’ names sometimes end up as “e`ww#4a” after an accidental paw-press.

3. The Acapella King

Picture this: I’m finally in the zone, making progress on my manuscript, typing away like a machine, when suddenly, the silence is shattered by a loud, dramatic, woooaaaah that echoes through the entire house. He’s not just casually meowing—he’s belting out a performance, and he knows he’s hitting all the high notes.

But here’s the best part: He’s a connoisseur of acoustics. Want to hear a full range of his vocal power? He’ll march right over to the toilet or the shower and scream directly into the pipes. Why? Because apparently, it gives him that extra resonance. No audience is too small. He’s just making sure everyone hears his masterpiece. The louder, the better. I’m just trying to type and he’s out here launching a solo concert for an invisible crowd.

His vocal cords? Stronger than a jet engine.

If you don’t believe me, this is a video of him doing it. Here he’s figuring out that yelling into the carpet does not produce the desired effect of throwing his voice…

4. The Tornado Cat

Sometimes I think he’s secretly training for a marathon—or possibly some kind of extreme parkour event. One second he’s quietly staring at me like he’s plotting world domination, and the next second, he’s running full speed around the house. He’s majestic, but I could do without him using the lamp as a bouncing board as he jumps between his cat wall ledges.

5. The Tail of Doom

Now, let’s talk about his tail. The moment I sit down at my desk and get to work, his tail whips through the air with deadly precision. You’d think I was being attacked by a small, furry whip! One second, I’m trying to type, and the next—SMACK—tail to the face. And don’t even get me started on how his fur magically ends up in my nose. One wrong move and I’m stuck in a sneezing fit, trying to avoid the world’s worst allergy attack while my cat looks at me like he’s proud of himself.

But despite all these hindrances, I wouldn’t trade him for the world.

Sure, he messes with my typing flow, steals my attention, and occasionally blocks my screen. But at the end of the day, he’s my partner in crime, my quiet companion through all the ups and downs of writing.

I know this post may be a bit of a photo dump, but honestly—look at this little face. How can anyone be mad at a cat?

Here’s to the real MVPs of my writing process. The ones who are there for the late-night brainstorming sessions, the snuggles when I’m stuck, and the occasional paw-induced typo.

And here’s to their undeniable ability to never let me forget that life—and writing—should always come with a little bit of chaos (and a lot of cat hair).