creative types: come read this

I think it's important for us creative types to stick together and support, inspire, and guide one another, and it always thrills me and fills me with joy when that happens in my life.

The comments to my procrastination/writer's block post are fantastic, and if you're a creative type who's reading this via syndication, you should really come over and read them. There's a lot of good stuff in there that will inspire, support and guide you, whether you're currently blocked or not.

I was inspired by all the thoughts and advice there, and I remembered something that guided me while I was working on my first two books, which I've just forgotten in the last arbitrarily-defined time period: Stephen King, in his fantastic book On Writing, said that if writers don't make the time to read, they shouldn't even attempt to make the time to write. I used to say something similar about actors or anyone who wants to work in the film industry: if you can't get out to see movies, and if you're not going to watch TV, you're going to have a really hard time being creative in those mediums.

I really need to learn how to manage my time better -- in fact, I wrote a Geek in Review called Time Enough At Last (possibly NSFW, right now it's Maxim-ish) that was entirely about that two weeks ago -- I've been so overwhelmed with deadlines lately that I haven't made the time to read or get out and experience the terrifying real world, and I've lost any sort of Balance.

I'm not back in Balance, yet, but at least I know how to get there now. I don't know if that would have happened without all the helpful and insightful comments so many of you left here, so thank you for that.

And if you're a creative type of person who's experiencing a similar sort of malaise, I hope this helps you find your muse, as well.