Sometimes, cartoons give sound advice

 

This was in yesterday’s newspaper, and it really made an impression.  I like Sherman’s Lagoon, the odd stories of a shark, his wife and child, and their friends the hermit crab, sea turtle and a variety of others that may, or may not, get devoured by Sherman at some point.

But in this cartoon in particular, there’s some solid advice.  Before writing, have a snack or eat something which is good for you.  You’d be surprised how the creative process works so much better on a full stomach.  I’ve sat down and tried to write while my stomach goes off the rails with growls and moans and what I write is horrid.  But when I eat, and I’m in the mood to write, I find it comes a lot better.  You’re motivated to write, you have better thought processes.  Mostly because you’re thinking about writing.  When you don’t eat, you think about writing and the fact you’re hungry.  It even helps if it’s peanut butter on crackers (or some other spread if you happen to be allergic to peanuts).

Eating can help with more than just writing, it can help with drawing or even just simple tasks that don’t take a lot of creative thought process.  So, it’s always good have something to eat, even if it’s a yogurt cup or even a bowl of berries and cream.