As I mentioned last week, I’m going to talk about the process of writing a bit more in the coming months. Specifically, though, this is about my process and how I view writing as a lifestyle or vocation–which does make me a little uncomfortable. Soap boxes are supposed to be used for soap and, per the whole reason why I started 365 Days of Squee, my ranting is best channeled into more productive activities like attacking the treadmill, baking cookies for other people, and drinking whiskey on occasion.
As anyone who’s talked to me knows, I’m not a huge fan of one-true-wayisms in life, the universe, love, or anything. I may be a force of nature, but I believe this with every ounce of my icy, black heart: do what works for you. Because of that, I tend to shy away from sharing what I do or think because my goal is not to be a self-help guru for writers. (I’m a helluva lot more Poe than Emerson, to be sure.) However, I think that some amount of prodding on this has done me some good, in the sense that I feel like I’m finding some balance between “what I know” and “how to share” this stuff. Or, in other words, there’s a few of you (e.g. the reader) out there who give a flying piece of bacon about my work.
Thus, I commence the first post!
So what is today’s creed? This might sound totally stupid, but there’s something I feel that’s crucial to being a writer: new and/or random experiences. Having a routine is useful for discipline, but too often this can lead to being comfortable, which can turn into laziness. When it (being lazy) happens to me, it’s because I’m apathetic or desensitized to who (or what) is around me. The days melt into one another, Saturday is no different from Wednesday, and I peer at the ground instead of at the sky. (Now mind you, winter exacerbates this issue because of SAD, and I feel that solutions to developing good habits originate out of being able to identify what’s wrong. So far, so good. Mostly.)
However, having a routine isn’t everything to me as a writer. It’s important, sure, but it can lead to a lot of disillusionment as well, because routines can be a part of unreasonable expectations. I’ve done “x” amount of projects or words like a good, little writer. Why hasn’t “y” happened? Why are there no ticker tape parades? I’ve done 100 sit-ups. Where are my washboard abs that I was promised? To me, being a writer isn’t about levels or tiers on a pyramid; nobody knows what the future holds when you’re a writer.
It’s partly for this reason, the: “Oh crap, do I need to read tarot cards to predict my career path?” that I feel it’s crucial to seek out the random and the new, to fold in new experiences and try different things. That little bit of chaos helps me survive, deal with my big question mark future and–BONUS–gives me more fuel to draw from when I am writing. It could be little things like picking up a book in a genre I normally don’t read, learning a new language, or a bigger thing like planning a trip or scheduling a writer’s retreat. Either way, some amount of new and random is healthy, overall, and can be quite addicting–especially if I’ve fallen into routine for too many days/weeks/months at a time.
Mind you, dealing with the new isn’t the same as conversing with my fellow humans (and possibly some cyborg/alien types), but it can help with social anxiety/shyness, too. As much as I’d like my own private sushi chef, for example, I still need to interact with people to get such culinary fish-ness as I am a lowly writer.
In summary, I feel that new experiences are necessary to maintain my writer’s brain. Not only do they fuel my creativity, they also help make me more resilient as well.
- Mood: Sage writer is sage
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Surprisingly too many
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: 30 on the elliptical
In My Ears: “Shrunken Heads” by Wolfgang Gartner (Joey Youngman)
Game Last Played: Brain Age 2
Book Last Read: The Drunken Botanist
Movie Last Viewed: The Hogfather
Latest Artistic Project: B-B-B-Beading
Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last
Latest Game Release: Things Don’t Go Smooth
What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work, original comics, and novels.
