THE RECKLESS WRITER

One of a writer’s main objectives is to seek out inspiration. Writing tends to be a solitary experience that attracts introverts. There have been periods in my life where I spent most of my time alone. Until recently, collaboration never played much of a role in my work.

The problem with studying alone is that you interpret everything through the lens of your own physical reality. No matter how well-rounded or well-educated an individual you are, you influence your reality through observation. All writers must refine their inspiration by processing their discoveries with alternate perspectives.

For example, as a man, I don’t have direct experience with how the world treats women. My race, sexual orientation, even my physical size has a dramatic impact on how I see the world. These preset conditions effectively prevent me from perceiving large swaths of the complete tapestry of the human experience.

If I truly want to improve my understanding, I’m obligated to gather up critical information from other sources. Reading is a good place to start but it isn’t enough. Even when reading, you impose your own viewpoint on the interpretation of words. To really understand alternate perspectives, you have to experience them. One of the best ways to do that is by having conversations.

The essential responsibility of writers

I grew up in a rural community that was mistrustful of education. The pervasive belief was that if you weren’t on the basketball team, you were essentially wasting your life. Because I was surrounded by that mindset, I developed a mechanism to block out unfair criticisms. An unexpected consequence of that mechanism was that I became reluctant to collaborate.

Lately, I’ve been deliberately working to overcome that tendency. I’ve been reaching out to fellow creators and other accomplished people for exploratory conversations. I’ve been doing this for about six months, and the results have been extremely…