Solitude

The last, oh, 18 months, or maybe closer to a year, has been a period of solitude in terms of my personal life.

I've kind of been hibernating, which means really keeping to myself. It's not like I don't go out — I do, but my activities tend to be solitary — a lot of walking, some surfing, beach time, things of that nature.

I wonder what the impact has been on my writing.

Jessamyn West may have said it best: "Writing is a solitary occupation. Family, friends, and society are the natural enemies of the writer. He must be alone, uninterrupted, and slightly savage if he is to sustain and complete an undertaking."

Certainly the last year or so has been one of extreme productivity, despite my grumblings about how my writing's not going well.

And you know, the writing's been pretty good, and covered a variety of topics, styles and genres.

Which is interesting because I've always been an advocaate of really being out there in the thick of "life" for great writing material. Hmmmm.

Food for thought.

And my favorite quote about "solitude": "I owe my solitude to other people." Allen Watts.