Rube Tube

Author William Gibson has an essay on his web site in which he contemplates becoming “exactly the sort of introverted, hyper-bookish boy you’ll find in the biographies of most American science fiction writers … dreaming of one day becoming a writer myself.” It’s all interesting, even if you’re not familiar with his work, and he concludes with this compelling insight:

“I suspect I have spent just about exactly as much time actually writing as the average person my age has spent watching television, and that, as much as anything, may be the real secret here.”

I watch more than I should, although far less than the average American, but I work at being selective and watching smart — for example, saving shows to the DVR so I can skip through commercials and get the full hour in 42 minutes and saving mindless tasks to do while I’m watching.

Gibson’s comment is making me reconsider my strategy.

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