I was hanging out over at FUEL your writing, which is an exceptional blog, when I was suddenly hit with a question I thought every writer should ask themselves.

Susan stressed the importance of physically exercising in order to stimulate the body and mind — I agreed (check out our short conversation). If you’re not physically moving around and getting the blood flowing, you’re mind isn’t going to be as sharp as can be.

Are you living to write, or writing to live?

In other words, are you living your life and subsequently using your experiences as inspiration to write, or do you experience life through your writing — through characters, situations, and themes you might not have been able to experience in reality?

This question is important because it will reveal your approach not only to writing, but to life as well. If you’re like me, you probably feel pull in both directions — you want to experience life for what it is as well as what it’s not.

Where does everyone stand in their own writing?

I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on this question, what approach you take with your writing, and whether or not you feel this is affected by the genre in which you usually write.

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