Writers who don't read. I've talked to far too many of them. Their defense is usually something along the lines of not wanting to be "influenced" by other people's work. If this is truly a danger, I envy their impressionability. We should all be so easily influenced by Proust.
Then there's a second camp of writers who love to read, but don't seem to extend that courtesy to other mediums. They don't visit museums, listen to music beyond the top 40, or watch independent movies.
Sorry, but it doesn't work that way.
You cannot just be a creator. You need to be a consumer. You know how every single writing book/blog/twitter feed out there preaches about "getting out there and living life?" They are not just talking about bonding with your friends over drunk eggs and bacon as the sun comes up, or sleeping with someone who doesn't have a job. They're talking about being an active set of eyes and ears, readily consuming other works of art that are probably better than yours.
Sorry, but it doesn't work that way.
You cannot just be a creator. You need to be a consumer. You know how every single writing book/blog/twitter feed out there preaches about "getting out there and living life?" They are not just talking about bonding with your friends over drunk eggs and bacon as the sun comes up, or sleeping with someone who doesn't have a job. They're talking about being an active set of eyes and ears, readily consuming other works of art that are probably better than yours.
Even on November 11th, when you're trudging through the thick of your novel, you've got to feed yourself. You are an artist, and that means that the strange, the unhinged, the challenging, and the beautiful are vital to your diet.
I know that sometimes seeking those experiences can be difficult financially. Believe me, I do know that, I have like two dollars right now. What matters most is the desire and the curiosity for art, and fortunately, that's a hunger that can be very easily sated right from the comfort of home.
Watch a Criterion Collection film on Hulu.
Lose yourself in Slate's photography blog, Behold.
Sign up to receive a poem every day via email and read it, really read it, while you have your coffee in the morning. Read it until you have some thoughts on it, until it's not just a pretty string of words.
Listen to music you've never heard before. For example, did you know there's a band called Heaven's Gate?
Feed yourself, even if you're thousands of words behind. Be wildly influenced, and then get back to work. The consumption of art* is never a waste of time.
*Dance Moms is not currently considered art.
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