Friends and I were discussing (okay, it was the other Books & Such agents) when it is and is not appropriate for a writer to binge. The conversation created–pun intended–food for thought.
We LOVE food for thought. One of our favorite dishes!
We may or may not have all been guilty of bingeing what we later deeply regretted–a whole package of Oreos during a deadline, an entire 15-serving (or so they say) bag of chips, a cheesecake meant for the next day’s holiday feast. Fill in the blank with your own story.
Are there situations when it’s okay for a writer to binge?
One year, a writer friend–Gayle Roper–graciously invited me to spend a few days at her lovely home when I was between two speaking weekends in her area. When she heard I had not watched a single episode of Downton Abbey, she grabbed the edge of the nearest chair. “What?”
She was determined to fix that lack on my part. We spent every evening in comfy chairs watching episode after episode together. Somewhere near eleven p.m. each night, she’d eagerly ask, “One more?” I always said yes.
We binged every season until I was caught up. And it was the most delightful, unforgettable bingeing, partly because between episodes, we talked story–how the characters’ development unfolded in those scenes, how the unspoken told half the plot, how we learned to care about villains, and the joy of plot twists.
With that sweet memory in mind, I’m considering these instances when it’s not only okay but encouraged to binge:
Binge good podcasts.
Podcasts by other authors or for authors. Or podcasts for your readers. Podcasts designed to reach your target audience. Or binge podcasts about topics you find intriguing. Spiritual growth podcasts. Podcasts about–wait for it–marketing. Podcasts that help fill a gap in the knowledge you need as a writer. Might we be so bold as to suggest bingeing the Books & Such podcast? In conversational style, we agents “dish” on topics of interest to writers at almost any point in their journey. Over the next weeks and months, those podcasts will include interviews with industry-savvy guests, too.
Binge books on craft…
but not if they keep you endlessly reading and never implementing what you learn.
Binge-read books in your genre, especially recent releases.
A good author needs to know what’s already out there and how their book is different. It will take intentionality, but resist the temptation to mimic and instead let those books inspire you to write what only you can.
For fiction writers, binge-watch movies in your category.
What works? What doesn’t? Take note of the conflicts that keep you watching versus the contrived that tempt you to go do something else.
Binge videos…
of the area and culture in which your story is set.
Or binge-watch videos that help with techno troubles every author faces–computer glitches, installing new hardware, undoing the mess of a corrupted file, how to create attention-grabbing reels, how to make dinner when that’s the last thing on your mind…
When it’s okay for a writer to binge? When you binge anything that educates you in your craft or the industry, including this blog.
Have you looked at the years’ worth of topics in our archives? More than 2,000 options! Are you stuck on marketing ideas? We have a blog (or six) for that. How to find time to write? We have a blog post for that.
Binge when you can’t write.
When creativity has “left the building,” climb out of the mire of despair and binge what will not only ease the tension but fuel your creativity–music, art, nature, physical activity, gardening, or the always inspiring binge-cleaning.
Be prepared. In some cases, bingeing often jump-starts creativity and you’ll soon find yourself binge-writing!
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The thought doth really make me cringe,
anathema to my wand’ring soul.
There’s no way that I can binge;
it’s variety to keep me whole,
and thus from ground to roof I flit
like a jolly questing bird,
vigorously seeking it,
the perfect line, the sublime word,
and perhaps this takes my focus
and as such weakens my craft,
but staying in a single locus
would make me stale and cross and daft,
and so I spread bright wings and fly
to shiny things that catch my eye.
Now, I did try to watch Downton Abbey. Petula Clark never showed up to record her signature song at the Abbey Road Studios, and I was SO disappointed.
Made me smile.
Could I suggest something nonfiction writers NOT binge?
Research. I’ve coached and taught hundreds of writers now who tell me something like, “I’ll write my book when I’m done researching.”
The only book we nonfiction writers need to binge-read is the Bible. The richest content of our writing will come from God’s Word. If we’re researching a topic to death by reading others’ works, the resultant book will be a research paper, rather than anything unique God could show us from his Word.
Just my thoughts . . .
There is definitely a balance between research, study, and writing. And some nonfiction topics do definitely lend themselves to an author’s careful and involved research about customs, biblical connections to historical events, or even sometimes how science and the Bible intersect. It is truly an art to use the information and knowledge we have access to and lean on the insights we are given afresh to make sure our work in nonfiction is both historically and biblically accurate, theologically-sound (within the Christian publishing sphere), and yet still unique and engaging because it isn’t a regurgitation of other people’s work. No small feat!
Another angle perhaps in nonfiction is that endless research can keep us from writing at all. So we accumulate information but never get around to delivering it. 🙂