[Roger Slater]

Why can't a person be interested in more than one thing? I'm wary of telling other people how they should go about writing, or suggesting that an interest in philosophy or aesthetics is counterproductive for them because it might be for you. Plenty of fine writers had a deep interest in philosophy and aesthetics. Keats didn't only give us an aphorism, but his letters give us some rather profound ruminations on art. And Coleridge was as tedious as any modern philosopher with his philosophical ramblings but still managed to give us Rime of the Ancient Mariner, among other works. I certainly wouldn't suggest that a deep interest in philosophy or the nature of beauty, etc., is a prerequisite for an artist or poet, or that it wouldn't be an actual impediment for some, but I'm wary of artists telling each other how they should go about creating their art. Some poets swear you must use pencil and paper, others insist on getting up early, while others are most productive late at night on their laptops. Just do what you think is right for you and don't presume your methods or your approach are so marvelously successful in your case that others would be a fool not to copy them.