Using the Muse Wisely
My therapist recently made the call that I was an introvert. Shocking, I know. But one thing I didn't know was that introverts are known for having a rich inner world. This probably explains a lot about why I am the way I am. And why most people are saints for putting up with my constant spewing of thoughts. One of the main things I strive to do with my inner world is bring it outward to share with others. And one of the main ways I do that is through writing. However, a lot of my writing time has been taken up by Twitter Role-play.
That's basically where you act and react like a character from some sort of preset fictional universe. It's still writing but very interactive.
I know.
It's the dorkiest of dorkfest things I could do in my spare time.
Anyway, the point is, I decided to take a break from Twitter Role-play and focus on my personal writing. Here are five things that happened during the past month and how I feel about them.
My Twittercation Findings
1. I wrote a LOT more. I mean, I wrote chapters in my new book. I wrote a new fan fiction even though I'd sworn I'd gotten off that sauce. I also created a blog. This blog. I wrote about nearly anything I thought was clever or passionate.
And how do I feel about that? Amazing. Writing is and always will be my personal gift to myself and anyone who might wish to read. So, thumbs up there.
2. I had opinions on facebook a lot. And, WOW, what a month to have opinions on facebook. Somehow the lack of conversing on the role-play level left a crater of interaction to fill; and I definitely filled it with gorillas, rapists and trying to make people understand that Islam does not lead to the murder of 49 people in a gay bar.
How do I feel about that? Like I don't want to write on facebook about serious issues much anymore. Not in the "Ah, there's another hot button issue people are talking and arguing about. I'd better make yet another post about how I think it's stupid to talk and argue on facebook so I can feel self righteous and not like I'm passive aggressively trying to call people out for having an opinion on their own pages". (And, yes, that's me passive aggressively calling people out.) Basically, I'll try to keep facebook for the funny stuff unless I simply can't help myself.
3. I read so much more. I've been reading a lot of books throughout this month. Fiction, non-fiction, self-help, etc. It's been great!
How'd that go for me? Splendidly. I remembered I knew how to read.
4. I cooked nearly every other night. Role-play took up most of my non-working hours and that meant I had way more time in the evenings to do great stuff for my body. Instead of eating crap, I cooked a lot of the time.
How was the food? Fantastic. I needed to realize that I'd lost my connection to my food so that I strive not to do so again.
5. I exercised more. The thing about Twitter in general, not just role-play, is that there is a sense of instant gratification to what you put out there. People like your tweets and that releases a little dopamine into your system. Working on a serious depletion of that consistent release, I needed to find healthy ways to get my happy bursts back up. Exercise helped tremendously with that.
How much do I even lift bro? Just enough to make me feel better. I will never complain about having the motivation to get my ass to the gym
So, aside from the extra interaction on facebook, I'd say my hiatus from Twitter went well. I had an overall spike in positive results even though it seemed incredibly hard at times.
Will I go back to my fun fantasy worlds?
Probably so. There's a beauty in that particular form of collaboration that I haven't found in any other medium. The trick will be to do so in moderation. And, the fear of enforcing another month long abstinence from the blue bird will probably be enough to keep me on track.
Use your muse wisely, kids. You don't have an endless supply.