I mentioned before that I felt inspired by Jay Lake, and I wanted to talk about that a little more. One thing that inspires is his prodigious output (over 240 short stories and 7 novels since 2001). Another is his commitment to keep on writing even during his fight with cancer (hang in there Jay). But what really impresses me is his dedication to having a boring life.
That’s not a jab at Jay…that’s how he summed up how he finds time to produce so much work. He mentioned this in an interview Mur Lafferty conducted with him on episode 131 of Mur’s excellent “I Should Be Writing” podcast. Jay said he doesn’t watch TV and doesn’t play games, and that’s how he finds time to write.
Finding time to write has long been my problem, or at least that’s how I phrased it before. But truthfully, the issue is how I prioritize my writing. The last few years, I’ve let recreation–primarily video games, PC games, roleplaying games–take priority over writing. And whether it’s guilt over letting my writing slide, or a mid-life crisis making me feel like I’m wasting my life playing, or whatever you want to call it, I haven’t been enjoying games much lately.
Jay said that everyone consumes, but only some of us produce. I’m feeling the need to be productive again. The last time I was in writing-mode, a friend was baffled by the fact that I would work a full-time job and then come home and do more work (on a writing project). I think I’m eager to baffle him some more.