Oranges and Fire

Ernest Hemingway, the famous author of 'The old man and the sea' , had a peculiar habit of doing furious physical activity and then doing nothing. He would peel many oranges and gaze into the fire for long periods of time before writing.
A journalist observed his behaviour and asked him about the reason behind this oddity.
Ernest replied that he is just preparing his  soul to write. If he does not do this thing he won't be able to write anything.