A question for other authors

I was wondering if other author's did the same thing as I do or if I am totally nuts. See, when I am in the middle of writing a work, I make it a habit not to read anybody. I don't mean just reading things on line, I won't even read a newspaper article (even if I really wanted to).

This behavior started a few years ago. I noticed when I was writing a work that I started emulating Douglas Adams unintentionally (I was reading The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, which I highly recommend). I had to scrap three chapters of a novel because I was writing witty things when the book was dark and serious.

There is a backlash to this behavior. I miss out on reading some really good stories. I don't know if I am really a part of the community if all I do is post stories and watch for comments (and I check the blogs). Am I being a pariah?