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I’m your typical writer type: loves to read fiction and claims to write as much as he can. The reading part is all true.
Usually, I devour as much fiction as I can, along with the occasional Malcolm Gladwell or Michael Lewis book. Then I spend a lot of time thinking about writing.
But last month I picked up a book that’s totally out of my realm of interest or competence: Born That Way. It’s a book about genetics that covers a fascinating study of identical twins that were separated at birth and then reunited decades later. Some wacky similarities showed up that solidified the link between genetics and behavior.
Why would a writer/lover of fiction like myself read a book about twin studies when he’s trying to polish his fiction as much as possible?
Because I needed to take a break.
I was putting a ton of pressure on myself to write more fiction, so I read as much as I could expecting that it would help me write more. It’s part of my own personal formula.
But all that pressure isn’t good for you, especially when you’re talking about something creative like writing.
So like Archimedes, I decided to take a break. Instead of taking a bath though, I read a nonfiction book about a totally unrelated, random subject. A subject I do have an interest in, but still nothing you would immediately relate to fiction.
And wouldn’t you know it, I had my eureka moment. I enjoyed the book, for one. But I also picked up a fantastic idea for a short story. Hell, it might even be a novel idea. All because I stopped trying so hard.
But by going out and doing stuff, I managed to take the pressure off of what I was doing and get past the roadblock.
Remember the next time you feel like you’ve been bashing your head against a problem for a long time. Don’t keep bashing: take a break instead.
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Comments
01.11.10
I totally agree. It's interesting how totally switching gears can provide fresh inspiration to other things you get stuck on.
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