Discovering What Comes Next

Lately, I’ve been looking forward to getting to my desk.

That may sound like an ordinary thing for a writer to say. But after struggling with anhedonia, the absence of pleasure even in things I knew were worthwhile, that eagerness means something to me.

Writing fiction has been bringing it back. I want to find out what my characters will do next, even though I’m supposedly the person in charge. Apparently, nobody has explained that arrangement to them.

In this solo episode, I explore discovery writing, the feeling of being absorbed in creative work, and the possibility of returning to something you love with all your life experience behind you. I also talk about why I’m likely to write out these solo episodes before recording them. Some of the discovery happens while I’m figuring out what I want to say.

The big takeaway

My eagerness to return to storytelling is something I want to pay attention to. It tells me something about what belongs in my life. Your curiosity may offer something worth noticing, too.

In this episode

* I describe how writing fiction has renewed my enjoyment, while keeping that experience distinct from anyone else’s experience of depression.

* I consider how creative absorption may overlap with flow, drawing on the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Martin Seligman.

* I explain why “discovery writer” fits the way I work, even when I have a destination in mind.

* I connect the pleasure of discovering characters with everyday discoveries, from a new restaurant to a solution for a stubborn problem.

* I reflect on Bruce Robert Coffin’s return to writing after nearly three decades in law enforcement.