Can you produce and consume stories at the same time?

I love to write stories. I also love to consume them. I enjoy reading stories in books, watching stories in movies and TV shows, and hearing them from podcasts and friends. In my head, I’ve always thought that engaging with stories in any form makes me a better writer or, at least, helps me improve my ideas. As I’ve spent time recently writing a long-form or novel-length story, I’ve come to realize that there is a conflict between consuming stories in media and producing my own.

The first problem–and most obvious, in my opinion–is that consuming stories becomes an easy distraction from writing. The abundance of streaming platforms makes it easy to find movies or TV shows within seconds whereas sitting down to write can take time to get started. On lower energy days, I find myself unwilling to put in the effort to start writing, preferring the distraction and ease that streaming something provides. I can (and will) argue that I’m trying to “research the field” of fantasy stories, but I know the first reason is the distraction. I can even make the sometimes valid argument that consuming these stories can give me ideas for my own work. Occasionally, they do provide excellent hooks to hang my overactive imagination on. But I don’t believe that those hooks come about as often as I think they do.

The second problem, which is closely related to the first, is that consuming stories is addictive. I cannot normally just watch one episode of whatever I’ve chosen. Instead, I keep justifying another and another until I’ve entirely run out of time to do any writing at all. Not only are they addictive for a single sitting, but, if the story is engaging enough, it can span multiple days or even weeks. This could be particularly powerful for me who needs to know the ending, even of mediocre stories, but there are so many times I’ve had energy and even the desire to write, but my obsession with someone else’s story overcomes my love for my own. On a positive note, I think that means that the authors of those books, TV shows, movies, podcasts or whatever story it is have done a great job at crafting them and their successful pieces should be absorbed. I should likely wait until I’m done crafting whatever current project I have before I pursue those others, though.

Finally, the third major problem I see is that a well crafted story I consume can kill my own confidence. Whenever I encounter a captivating, thrilling, beautiful story, I sometimes question whether the ones I want to tell can measure up to it. Sometimes, a piece of someone else’s story will make me wish I had come up with an idea of that caliber. Even when I interact with authors who I admire and know are wildly creative and successful, I wonder if I could ever reach even a fraction of their level. On those days, all my desire to craft a chapter or produce a beautiful piece fades. It’s almost always temporary, but, in the moment, those feelings can be very defeating and destroy any forward progress.

My intention here has not to disparage the consumption of stories in any form. I think that engaging with other people’s stories provides several benefits to anyone who wants to craft their own stories. Someone else’s story can spark your own thoughts and imagination to create something new. Inspiration grows from engagement in art and creativity. A word, phrase, or scene in a story can launch a frenzy of inspired work in a very different direction on occasion.

Moving forward, I intend to produce and consume stories at separate times. When I write, I can keep my skills, attention, and confidence focused on my own work. When I’ve finished my project, I can consume stories from other sources to help inspire me to create again. This approach may not work for everyone, but it has been a helpful approach for me. In any case, I hope stories continue to be produced and consumed by as many people as possible. After all, what kind of world would be in if no one ever attempted to make something new?