Back when I was a student at Ohio University, I had a secret "study" spot in the far reaches of the upper floors of Alden Library.
Deep in the stacks, there were a couple of study carrels stuffed into a corner, immediately across from the library's archives of Popular Mechanics magazines. When the tedium of studying got to be too much, I'd take a "creative break."
I'd pull a volume at random and lose myself in the car trends of 1952 or the "latest" television tech of 1967. I've realized that in some ways I'm still that same student.
Just last week, I spent half a day "fiddling" with a website concept that probably won't ever see the light of day. Meanwhile, the actual work—final edits on my new novella and fresh chapters for my next novel—sat waiting.
Is 'fiddling" a waste of time? Sometimes. The returns are definitely spotty. But just like those old magazines in Alden Library, these side quests are often where the sparks for my books begin. They keep my imagination limber.
The trick is the discipline to eventually close the magazine (or the browser tab) and get back to the manuscript. Creativity needs the freedom to wander, but the story only gets finished when you put the pen to the paper.
