Things that have occurred to me this week
Voluntarily giving up reading for a week is harder than it sounds.
Had I stayed in the Navy, I would be eligible for retirement in two weeks.
Had I stayed in the Navy, I would be a completely different person than I am today.
People’s concepts of my freelancer/writer lifestyle are much cooler than the reality.
Regardless of those people’s concepts of my life being faulty, my life actually does rock right now and I’m damn happy.
Taking up jogging at 38 isn’t as hard as it sounds.
Why were you voluntarily giving up reading for a week?
I read somewhere (might have been in “The Artist’s Way”) that sometimes writers will hide behind excessive reading to avoid their own work. It’s an easy trap to get stuck in because it IS reading, so it doesn’t seem as egregious as wasting time watching TV or other activities.
There’s an HBO documentary on David McCullough where he speaks of doing research and saying how easy it is to get stuck in the research, because finding and reading old documents and others interpretations is so much more fun – and easier – than working on your own writing. At some point you simply have to put everything aside and work on the blank page.
It worked for me, I finished my last short story during my week break. Now I need to work up the courage to give up television for a week, which will be much easier now that “Battlestar Galactica” is over for the season.
I’m a TV addict, but giving up all reading would be harder.