My husband and I have been watching the TV series Elementary (ran on CBS for 7 seasons but we’d ever seen it before). The premise is that Sherlock Holmes lives in New York with a female Dr. Watson (starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu respectively). We’re in Season 2, and even though in every episode Sherlock ends up doing an odd hobby or quirky experiment, I was sparked when Sherlock said, “It’s time for distraction!”
He and Watson had reached a dead end in a case. He stated this need for distraction not in resignation but with excitement pleased to be getting on with Step 4 because it would, without a doubt, lead to Step 5. The writers lean into the comic relief of his various distractions to balance out all the murder. In this particular episode, it was weighing his tortoise (named Clyde) on an antique balance scale against random objects in his home.
The concept of taking a break from solving a problem in order to solve that problem isn’t particularly new. Engaging in mundane tasks lets the brain breathe. Engaging in open-ended creative tasks can spur new lines of thinking. It’s why so many great pieces of literature are written while taking a shower; alas the earth-shattering, brilliant words evaporate the moment you open the shower door.
I have struggled to find a fascination for my next this newsletter. Every topic seemed forced, like I was picking away at an archeology site with a camera zoomed in on my every move rather than digging in the mud with bare hands, squishy and fun. What had begun as a joy-filled distraction from my anxiety was now creating it (classic whiplash).
I also started the newsletter as a release valve from writing my thesis in my MFA program. I’m writing about illness and childhood, which inevitably is about loss and regret, and the work can be heavy. (It’ll trigger mood swings that I then have to manage and all that management and self care is such-a-time-suck in my day.) I do have some hobbies, my own non-writing distractions, but sometimes I still want to write—just in a less emotionally charged way.
I was a technical writer many decades ago now, and I enjoyed that work: distilling complex topics ideas into clear and concise prose is quite satisfying. The best part was when people who previously assumed they were not “smart” enough to understand a concept realized they just needed the information in a different form. The idea was to mix that skill with the types of posts I usually make to Facebook/Instagram (all while spending a bit less time on Facebook/Instagram). Bonus…I have already experienced working on a short piece for Easily Fascinated for 5 Minutes that grew beyond its boundaries and insisted that it be invited into my thesis. So in that way, the newsletter is working as a “productive” Sherlock-style distraction.
I’ll be keeping the anxiety at bay and the fascination as fun by publishing this newsletter on a schedule that reflects the natural ebb and flow of curiosity rather than a strict calendar. I do hope that what I deliver will be a pleasant distraction for you. That in a day full of required reading and flashy reels and human interactions, a short read about a random topic will let your brain breathe or spark a new thought.
🦉What distraction activities do you enjoy? When do you do them? What project (or primary job) do they distract you from? 🦉
🐰Rabbit Holes🐰
🐢 Clyde the Tortoise is on just about every social media platform: Reddit, Tumblr, eX-Twitter. Here’s a fun 1:18 minute compilation of Clyde appearances on Elementary.
🐰Writer Edition:
A month or so ago, I read this “Tough Love” post by an agent Carly Watters (it started with the graphic “why memoir is so hard to sell”) and was heartily discouraged. It's not that her information was incorrect but the publication world is what it is—and it’s not simple or easy (or fair). She had a lovely video a few days later about reframing rejection.
But then I read The New Social Media Rules by Allison K Williams on BrevityBlog and felt reassured and inspired: “It’s not clicks. It’s not followers or even likes. It’s people.” It drove home the lessons I’m learning as I become part of and help build a writing community through my local bookstore. Williams’ also wrote that “the good old-fashioned newsletter/blog is now Substack, where your subscribers keep you going and strangers can get to know your words and trust your voice.” and so here I am.
Later and most recently, I read the Substack Publishing in Literary Magazines by Rae Katz, which was a really helpful guide to starting submitting to Literary Magazines. But reading it, I started to second-guess spending time on a newsletter. She extolled the benefits of publishing in slow literary magazines (🐢) rather than viral social media (🐰), and it really resonated.
Such is the ebb and flow of confidence as a writer.
Preview thumbnail photo from ParamountPlus.com.
I’m a huge fan of distraction as a coping technique for chronic symptoms. I used get all judge-y on myself for needing a distraction but now I join the legions who agree they can be very healthy, especially for those of us with over/active, perseverating minds. My favorite? The Office. Gets more therapeutic with each re-viewing!