Yesterday, as the wipers raced to clear my windshield, passionate men of all ages and shapes parked their cars along the roadside and slogged to nearby streams. No storm could dampen their love of fishing on the season's first day. They just hitched up their waders and marched.
As a kid, we watched people pursue their hobbies with discipline and gusto, but the word passionate wasn't one we'd ever use to describe them. For us, "passion" described soap opera love affairs or small town scandals. The word only made it onto the covers of books written for adults and shelved beyond my reach. But now the judges on TV talent contests keep telling contestants to display passion, connect with the song, dance, or whatever...and deliver an emotional performance.
Great writers have always followed this advice. Isak Dinesen ran away from her rich family to paint in Paris. She later followed her husband to Africa where she fell in love with the landscapes she described in her novels. Ernest Hemingway stalked the bullfights and safaris in search of material for works that married emotional life to other feats of daring.
Though we have a million great examples of passionate writers, it's often really hard to pursue a story idea that takes us out of the realm of our daily life. Routine has its own gravitational force. Breaking away often seems impossible.
Don't let yourself be a prisoner of inertia. Want to write about the circus or the world of modern dance? Have a yen for sushi or a new slant on love? Take a tip from the determined anglers. Invest in the right tools, pick a date to begin, and don't let stormy weather keep you from your goal.
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