Try to find a writing time when few people phone or visit. If a cup of Java and a dog at your feet make you feel less lonely, by all means enjoy them. Don't lean on others for editorial advice and encouragement. AND never ask people you're emotionally involved with for advice in your writing style. Spouses, friends and roommates rarely have both editorial perceptiveness and the lack the ability to express it without infuriating you or breaking your heart.
Most opinions tend to be biased.
Be your own editor. When writing a story just take down the sentences that come to mind no matter how extreme they may seem. Just keep writing and don't stop. Once you have completed your ideas wait 24 hours, then go back and read it again. You will find many things you could have said differently or other way to express the sentence.