Feed the Fish
Effective writing is a simple equation: I (10) = O or Input (10) = Output.
No successful writer can exist in a vacuum. I read once that for every ten words you write, you should read a hundred. The muse is not self-sustaining. This isn't to say we should never write - God forbid - only that our ratio of reading to writing has to be high, or the writing will not last for long.
In other words...
My three favorite ways of doing this are 1) read magical books, 2) read about writing magical books, 3) talk to magical people.* This principle not only keeps us alive during the doldrums, but it's often the wind that brings us out of them.
Feed your fish well and feed him often, or you may return one day to find his golden scales have faded to gray, or worse...
- What makes your finned friend do backflips in his bowl?
- How long has it been since you stopped to look at him?
- What is one thing you can do today to improve your Input factor?
*The adults among you may swap "inspirational" for "magical."
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