May 9, 2005

I was discussing with Austin the other day, my latest theory on why it's so difficult for me to get into the writer's zone.

My working theory is that my healthy lifestyle impedes my writing attempts.

Have you ever noticed that most romance authors are overweight? My weight watchers core diet deprives me of the comfort foods so common to writers. Well, the diet works (down almost 100lbs), but I have not successfully converted my comfort foods from carbs to carrots. I'd prefer to be healthy than published, but frankly, I rather be both.

I gave up caffeine for health and financial reasons when I started to work from home. I've never been a coffee person - I drink tea sometimes, but Diet Coke was always my drink of choice. However, I chose to drink it like more than a six-pack a day. Decided this was bad for me, and so I went cold turkey.

I don't smoke, drink regularly or do drugs. So any substance-related writing juices aren't really an option like they might have been for Edgar Allan Poe, Jack London or Ernest Hemingway.

Maybe it's just that I'm already multitasking to a great degree, and trying to write and diet and do everything else in my life is just too much. But I think that's crap. I think I'm just scared to sit down and really take it seriously.

I also think that I need a good writing location. Somewhere that I won't be distracted by other stuff, or tempted to procrastinate. I mean, J.K. Rowling has written the Harry Potter books from a series of coffee shops. (Note the caffeine-friendly atmosphere again!)

For now, I've gone to Costco and purchased a vat of diet cola, and attempt to take my laptop to the public library once a week for a couple of hours. Let's hopes that a bit of caffeine and a change in setting can kickstart things a bit since I'm in a bit of a lull.