Writing and Savants

A number of years ago, a friend of mine experienced a period where he couldn't sleep for many days and it affected him adversely. But several months later, something positive emerged from that experience. He started to have this surge of energy and motivation to write. Before that difficult period, he had enjoyed writing fictional stories in school and even for his high school newspaper. But something had changed as a result of the experience. It was as if his brain had somehow been reprogrammed to be more creative. A roadblock had been smashed through and now the only thing that could quench this thirst was to write... anything.

Savants are known for having extraordinary mental and physical skills while not being able to do some of the most basic of tasks to be independent. I read that not all savants are born this way. Some people become gifted after experiencing some sort of head trauma. I was recently reading about brain research when I discovered an article that suggested that a musician's brain functions change during the creative process. It's like part of the brain shuts down so that the energy can be redirected to the creative side.

I sometimes wonder if my friend's sudden desire to write can be explained by this phenomenon. I'm curious to know if anyone else knows someone like my friend?