Yes, I do have moments of stupidity every once in a while. In a life packed with lots of work, books, edits, deadlines, websites, blogs, and other nifty things, I wisely signed up for Netflix over the weekend. (I'm an idiot) And just where am I going to miraculously find this broad swath of time to watch the movies and TV show DVDs that are now going to be appearing in my mailbox?
Oh, I have no doubt I'll find the time when I am procrastinating and would much rather watch the brilliance of Johnny Depp on my TV than beat my head against my desk over a fight scene that isn't coming together how I want it to. Ugh. If I had any smarts I would have gotten a gym membership instead.
(And in case my editor is reading this: No, the Netflix hasn't kicked in yet and I am almost finished with the edits I was sent. I have just about 100 pages left and I'll have them done well before the deadline.)
But, all joking aside, this post actually has a nugget of good advice, which is what I'm supposed to be doing, right? Introducing you to my twisted world of vampires and giving you the inside scoop on the writing life.
So, that nugget of truth: have an escape outside of writing. Have a second hobby to fall back on. If you don't take some time to walk away from the computer/notebook/journal, that creative muse could get tired and just shut down on you one day. You've got to keep filling the well. Me? I do some landscape photography (poorly) and I travel whenever I get the chance to sneak out of town for a long weekend. (And apparently, I am now going to be catching up on all the movies I've missed during the past 3 years.)
Let the world inspire you so you don't have to wear out your brain. You're going to need it for a long time.
3 comments:
Great advice. Watching movies really helps get some steam off the brain and that is great. That is what I am primarily doing apart from writing, but won't hurt to have something else.
PS: You don't have to watch that much to catch up. Nothing good made it for that time.
That's great advice, and it does apply to everything in life. After working on essays all the time for English, I either really want to write something of my own, or I don't want to see another word document for a few days. Before I came to college, it was horseback riding. I went riding twice a week and that helped keep my life balanced.
I think as far as movies go, Narnia, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure...all good movies. I stood in line for four hours to see Order of the Phoenix, all dressed up in the robes that I made a couple of years ago for the HBP book release. (can you tell I'm a big fan of HP? :D)
There are definitely days when I would prefer not to look at another printed word, but they are generally pretty rare. I may go a day or two without writing, but my characters are always with me. A day doesn't go by when I don't think about them.
And yes, I am a HP fan as well, though I don't own my own robes.
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