Two Sylvias' Weekly Muse: September 3, 2023

Issue 71

Hello Muse Readers,

Welcome to September!

What kinds of activities come to mind when you hear the word “binge?” Bingeing is the act of consuming or doing something excessively in a relatively short amount of time. We can binge on ice cream, fast food, and alcohol. Some people go on a shopping binge, a cleaning binge, or spend ten hours bingeing on a newly-released Prime or Netflix series. Often, bingeing is viewed in a negative light, but what about applying the term “binge” to a kind of writer?

Noted psychology professor Dr. Robert Boice conducted a study in the late 1980s in which he researched “binge writers.” Boice concluded that marathon writing sessions were, overall, less successful than brief daily sessions of writing. According to his research, binge writers had more difficulty coming up with creative ideas, had less of their writing published, and were, in general, more depressed than other writers. But, what if you are the type of writer who likes marathon sessions and enjoys …