The month of October has been dedicated to a creative recharge. I needed a break from writing. I needed a break from being productive and disciplined. So what’s a person to do? A person whose TV’s gathered dust for a number of years? It’s obvious, isn’t it? I popped in the first DVD and didn’t stop until I’d finished watching all eight seasons of “Game of Thrones“. (Yes. I know that DVDs aren’t a thing anymore. Yes. I know that I was a few years late to the party. And, yes, I totally dug the ending).
What did I notice?
First, immersing yourself into a fantasy world or, really, any story, can be disorienting. The characters almost become real; to the point where I felt slightly dazed when I ventured out into the real world. Like, for example, my day job. I’ve felt the same kind of shift in reality with my own writing a few times – the times when I’ve made the most progress.
Second, I found it dishearteningly easy to slip into the role of couch potato. Surrendering to slack-jawed consumption’s not difficult at all. Turns out that it’s much harder to overcome the inertia and resistance that my GoT marathon has engendered. While I have no desire whatsoever to spend any more time in front of a TV, I’ve found myself pulling favorite books off the shelf and re-reading them just for their mood or to revisit a particular character. In other words, I’m still consuming, not creating.
Third, getting back into writing is taking a conscious effort. Currently I’m putting the finishing touches on my WIP so it can go to a beta reader next week. Editing is a decent enough compromise between consuming (i.e. reading my own writing) and creating (i.e. rewriting). It’s a good transition into next month. Into the creative frenzy that is NaNoWriMo. As I’ve said elsewhere, I sure don’t do things by half measures.
So here’s what I learned (and it’ll surprise no one): If you’re looking for a creative recharge, watching hours and hours of TV isn’t the best method. Not even close. While enjoyable enough in the moment, it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The taste of overindulgence. It’s the one you get when you’ve just polished off a pound of tortilla chips – with cheddar cheese – in one sitting. (Not that I’ve ever done that, of course.)
Much better to refuel with choice treats, nicely spaced out over time. An episode or two of a series. A museum visit. A hike. A pleasure read. Travel (whenever that will be a thing again). A different creative endeavor. Or whatever else brings a smile to your face and opens new horizons. Sometimes your recharge can even do double duty as research.
Hmm. Excuse me while I sign up for that knife-throwing class.