“The writer's curse is that even in solitude, no matter its duration, he never grows lonely or bored.”
― Criss Jami, Killosophy
I found this quote while doing research for a demo I'm working on for ghostwriting autobiographies. Hey, if it's good enough work for Alex Haley, it's good enough work for me. I was talking to my mother about this recently. She and I are alike, we rarely, if ever, get bored. Lonely, sometimes, but also rarely. Actually, they are kind of the same thing. If you are an avid reader (I have always wanted to be, but just can't read fast enough) then you probably have similar thoughts, unless the book isn't that good. But that is also rare.
My mind is always working on something. There have been times when I have enjoyed being a couch potato, just sitting back and being stimulated by movies and TV. But that's usually when I am tired from a long day's (non-writing) work. Now, I am lucky if I get though a TV episode without jumping up and heading for the computer to type out some new thing that's popped into my head. Writing somehow facilitates that process. I have long been curious about how the mind works, and it would be interesting to study the neuroscience of writing.
The curse that Criss refers to is that because loneliness and boredom are the things that prick others to get out and socialize and do something productive or fun, the writer, then, never does. Oblivious to this world, at least for a time, she lives in her own world, the world of the work. Whether it is a parts manual for a mini-van, or an epic literary novel, the mind of the writer inhabits the world which inhabits her mind. Kind of paradoxical, ain't it?
So, do you get bored or lonely? Please drop me a comment.
