Flying Solo

Last week I had some time to myself, as most of my friends were either away or hard at work on their senior theses. I decided to make the most of this time alone and do alone-stuff: seeing a couple of movies no one else was interested in, going for walks, and getting some solid writing done.

Ultimately the weekend was a success and I did see those movies and get that writing done (as well as doing some spring cleaning of my dorm room), but I was extremely glad for the time to be over. It was just enough time for me to remember that time alone to work is precious, but not talking or interacting with others tends to dull our sensations. As John Steinbeck wrote, being alone for long periods of time makes us "revert to a pleasure-pain basis." What he meant was that we need other people to give us the finer shadings of emotion and sensation. Shame, jealousy, mental stimulation, even elation are more difficult to experience when alone, and instead we feel duller, reverting to simple sensations like hunger or fatigue. I could only write well by coasting on the fumes of my previous interactions with people; too much time alone, while helping you shape your thoughts, can leave you with only a fuzzy idea of the way others act and think.

Getting time to fly solo is an important part of writing, and in fact, writers spend more time alone than most other professions. Even other artists often have more interaction with people; artists, for example, usually require models of some sort, even if that is a sort of one-way interaction. Writers could theoretically do their work in a cave, but I think the subtlety of our writing would suffer for it. So remember to get out there, go to the party, babysit the neighbor's kids, and always be observing how others behave. We need others in order to refresh our stores of compassion and curiosity.

Comments

[Cheryl Wright]

Hello Blair,

Sometimes I feel as if the hassles of daily are sucking me in. While writing especially in my journal keeps me afloat, the passion begins to grow dim.

I try not to linger too long there and I often find my way back and fire up the passion again by heading out to the mall. The coffee shops, book stores and food courts offer their unique style of relaxation, people-watching adventure and inspiration. Plus they provide the freedom and open privacy to work on a project, read a book or magazine or write in my journal.

Flying solo at the mall always brings me back to the surface of my life and my writing.

[G.]

Flying solo is a good time to recharge... a way to reconnect with your roots in a way. But your right, spending too much time alone makes your thoughts a bit fuzzy; outside ideas and thoughts are needed to make the pool of creativity shine again.

[Ray]

I couldn't agree more with you on this. Other people and interaction creates a myriad inspiration on all levels and although the alone time is good the interaction can't be done without, good article!
One question though, will you have this site once you graduate or is my new "find" going to be short lived.

[Alexander Field]

Thanks for the post and the fascinating analysis of alone time. As a writer and a default introvert, I take as much time alone as I can get. This is a good reminder...to refresh the stores...as you say. : )