Less Coffee, More Writing
'I once heard a college student in Waterville, Maine, ask visiting writer Ron Carlson how one knows if one is really a writer. Ever the showman, Carlson delivered an entertaining riff about the distractions writers put in their own way, all day, all the time: leaving the room to get coffee, check the mail, get coffee, walk the dogs, go to the bathroom, get coffee, look something up, get coffee. Then, dead serious, he summed up the whole enterprise in a line I have never forgotten: the writer is the one who stays in the room.'
--From The Pocket Muse--Ideas and Inspirations for Writing.
3 Comments:
Shalom John,
I've carried the pocket muse in my back pack where ever I go for about three years now. I like to riffle the pages grab an idea when the muse is playing games with my head.
B'shalom,
Jeff
Jeff,
Good for you, bud. That book is pretty cool looking, stuffed with some truly wonderful ideas, wonderfully presented. It's a great example of taking an entirely fresh approach to a subject. I hope you'll write your own very different version some day, Jeff, so that others can learn from your muse.
Steve,
Of course, no one could argue with your point. Balance in all things is what it's all about. But when we talk about caffeine stimulating the imagination and helping spur creativity, let's not forget about various forms of exercise, which are also important in injecting more oxygen to the brain. But in the end, I've always agreed with the unknown (at least by me) person who observed that when it comes to creative pursuits, inspiration is often overrated, while perspiration is underrated.
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