Everything, Everywhere, Write #2: Guilt-Free Screen Time For Everyone!
As a creative being, observation is second nature.
A column about embracing and nurturing your creative journey daily, allowing for growth and flourishing while releasing guilt and self-doubt.
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There is no such thing as “zoning out” if you are a writer. When you watch shows and movies, you are naturally thinking about character development, plot twists, and wishing you could hire the writer who wrote the great comeback for aboriginal actor Deborah Mailman to a racist senator in Total Control: “Thanks for that. Because I haven’t been patronized enough today.”
Oh yes. The other reason watching TV–whether cooking, comedy, or criminal procedurals (why do I love these even though I have a staunch “defund the police” stance?)–is that we also bring a cultural and ethical consciousness to bear when absorbing shows. We are deciding why we like or dislike characters or contestants, why they don’t cast more people of color, guffawing at an unrealistic plot twist, and asking ourselves who might play the characters in our books if they were on the big screen.
We are keen observers and that is not a trait we easily turn on and off. It’s in our nature to wonder why the camera pans to a certain person’s hands or a vase on a mantelpiece and when the meaning will show up from this foreshadowing. Yes, you are noticing these–and if you really like a show or movie–you might even go back to the beginning, if you have that viewing capability, to see how much was set up in the early scenes. I do that with books I read and it is magical.
If you are like me, you may have a filter on what you watch to shift your mind from your paid and unpaid work. I insist on a BIPOC in one of the main roles and favor British criminal procedurals because there are rarely guns and my world is overrun with US accents and problems. I remind myself to look for comedies even though I have a higher bar for what I consider funny–nothing worse than stupid humor for a writer. We have craft swimming in our minds all the time and we also have justice pumping in and out of our hearts. We are tender and fierce mixed together; crying about our favorite characters dying and railing against the bad guys who too often resemble our governments’ leaders or the people who decide so much of what we watch.
There is no guilt in being writers who want to rest from the daily challenges by turning on the TV. While we may not fully escape the realities of the world, we’re resting our bodies and turning down the volume of our amygdala that is hyper alert when we are working and writing. Since we are watching others deal with stress, we can soften our gaze and focus on lives and worlds other than our own.
I use my shows and movies to release feelings that have accumulated and can show themselves in this more neutral setting. I notice how negatively stressed I am by how much I can tolerate the pain in a show, especially if it is addressing issues that are heavy for me that day. I am ready to lower the volume, grab some tissue, and remember to breathe. While sometimes I remind myself they are actors and nobody really died, I’m also aware that people are dying every day. Writers have to be willing to feel it all to write as well as we do. While I don’t consider my sTV watching an escape, I understand that, for those hours, there is nothing I have to do anything about. Except, of course, to tell others which ones I liked so they always have something to watch!
A particular aspect of my TV watching is sports, mainly tennis. All the players are protagonists who are on the so-called hero’s journey, going on an adventure (in this case a match), attempting to be victorious in a decisive crisis, and coming home changed or transformed. When I think of the tennis players I have or do cheer for, it is no surprise that the ones I think are most creative are my favorites and are breaking barriers, like the Williams sisters, Ons Jabeur, and Taylor Townsend. They are usually people of color and have both society and their opponents to triumph over. As a writer of color, I resonate with this double-headed beast that challenges my persistence and my talent. The publishing game has been manipulated to preference white and male writers. Even though I have created spectacular plans that included fabulous support, I have not landed an agent or traditional publishing contract. Writing is competitive and that reality is demonstrated in sports, reminding me I am not alone.
Everything I watch has me assessing characters’ choices, what is being said and what is being shown, and just how much tension is my sweet spot. I recently sent a friend a list of Britbox shows and gave them all a rating from 1-3 for tension level! That is directly related to my writing craft. A teacher told us we have to let the readers breathe by creating less tension in between the most difficult parts of the story. Sometimes I pause a show if I need time to process. I also don’t watch all my sports live if I am in a tender place and can’t bear to watch my player or team lose. Only when I know they won will I watch the replay. Being aware of our state of mind and heart is an important outcome of watching others combat life’s challenges. Much cheaper than therapy. Therefore release your guilt and check in on your breathing patterns. You are alive and engaging in your craft everywhere and every time you pick up the remote.
Next time we’ll delve into why you can never really read just for pleasure and why that is a small cost to pay for all that reading brings to your writing life.
How can you notice your state of mind and heart when choosing your shows and movies?
What is a new “way of thinking” you will nurture about your writing life?
Linda González’ (she/ella) writing and coaching practice is focused on supporting BIPOC to embark on a journey of love and healing for this and future generations. She works with BIPOC writers to claim their voice through a sanctuary program that includes coaching, writing sessions, editing, and craft workshops. She is the author of two books and has published many essays. Breaking Through Your Own Glass Ceiling is based on living a full-hearted life with healing at the core, despite daily inequities. Her award-winning memoir The Cost of Our Lives is a family story of unearthing secrets in search of redemption.
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