What’s the best
way to get in the proper frame of mood to write? Vigorous sex? A shot of smooth
bourbon? A walk in the woods? This fascinating short article, by Maria Konnikova in Scientific
American, discusses how such luminaries as Vladimir Nabokov, Mark Twain,
and John Cheever got “pumped” before settling down to write:
It’s not so strange, then, that in ritual, artists find
such consistent gratification and creative value. While ritual in itself may
not play any role in the quality of the creative output, the simple act of
engagement could heighten both anticipation and enjoyment of the entire
creative process. And while the suffering artist is another stereotype that’s
right up there with the quirky artist in popular appeal, when it comes to
actual creative quality, few things beat the
engaged mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment