Author Neil Gaiman is known for seeking boredom. It forces his mind to wander. That sparks creativity and leaves his brain with enough energy to write without distraction.
"Neil famously has said the way he writes a book is he makes himself extremely bored," says Seth Godin. "And if he's bored enough, a book's going to come out." Gaiman told The Guardian that he can write a book twice as fast when he bans himself from Twitter.
Here's Gaiman writing about where ideas come from:
You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it.
You get ideas when you ask yourself simple questions. The most important of the questions is just, What if...?
(What if you woke up with wings? What if your sister turned into a mouse? What if you all found out that your teacher was planning to eat one of you at the end of term - but you didn't know who?)
Have a great day!
Jimmy
Swipe File is a short newsletter that delivers a small dose of inspiration each morning.