When Writing is Enjoyable

Writing and riding a bike share many similarities. The flow returns as soon as you reengage with them. When it's enjoyable, stopping is the last thing you want to do. Eventually, a break becomes necessary to engage in other activities.

As social beings, even a solitary wanderer needs more than mere companionship. We must exercise, shop, fulfill appointments, and socialize because, inherently, we are social beings. A Hemingway quote comes to mind as it captures the essence of writing and the significance of exercise and intimacy as well. "It was necessary to get exercise," Hemingway says, "to be tired in the body, and it was very good to make love with whom you loved. That was better than anything. But afterwards, when you were empty, it was necessary to read in order not to think or worry about your work until you could do it again.."

Maintaining a schedule similar to a Monday-through-Friday work routine can be beneficial. For me, the challenge lies in getting adequate sleep; sleeping too much gives me a sense of missing out. Besides, there will come a time when we will all have ample opportunity to sleep.

This is another Hemingway technique I appreciate: "When I was writing, it was necessary for me to read after I had written. If you kept thinking about it, you would lose the thing that you were writing before you could go on with it the next day.”