Making room in your head for the words to flow
Writing is a solitary event. Most of us work alone, banging away at the keyboard, locked in a room where no one can disturb us, typing into the wee hours of the night.
If you have read some of my past posts, you would know that I sit at the kitchen table where I can look outside and enjoy the view. The television is generally blasting in the other room and my partner is practicing his guitar. It's not quiet or isolated. This works for me. I think if the room is too quiet my brain fills with clutter. A myriad of thoughts ricochet around in my head.
However, sometimes neither the chaos nor locking myself in a room works. I cannot focus on writing. I check my Facebook page a dozen times a minute. I bake something. I find laundry to do or some other chore that could wait for another day.
When this happens, I know it's time to walk away. I need to focus on something which takes my full concentration and doesn't permit any other thoughts to interject. For me, this means putting on the hiking shoes and pounding up the mountain trail. If the climb is steep enough and the trail challenging, my only thought is can I make it to the top. Well, I will admit that my other thoughts might be - Am I crazy? What was I thinking? How badly will my knees scream about this later? Will I make it back down the mountain? But not once do I think about the laundry.
If I'm alone, I may run through parts of the manuscript - plot twists, holes in the story which need filling, characters who need more depth. Sometimes even when hiking with another person these thoughts might sneak up on me. Just around the next bend the hill climbs even steeper and while trying to breathe I might stumble across something that Jayne would say or do. I don't plan write while on the trail - thoughts pop into my head as quickly as the lizard darts across my path. The thing that moves me away from the keyboard is what sits me back down ready to work.
You may say it's merely the act of physical exertion that works but I think it might also be my form of a muse. I don't get this inspiration from a demanding gym workout. That might give me the same sore muscles but being on an Arizona mountain with views for miles and amazing rock formations feeds my soul.
I hope you are able to follow the path to your inspiration.
Happy trails,
Leslie
When this happens, I know it's time to walk away. I need to focus on something which takes my full concentration and doesn't permit any other thoughts to interject. For me, this means putting on the hiking shoes and pounding up the mountain trail. If the climb is steep enough and the trail challenging, my only thought is can I make it to the top. Well, I will admit that my other thoughts might be - Am I crazy? What was I thinking? How badly will my knees scream about this later? Will I make it back down the mountain? But not once do I think about the laundry.
If I'm alone, I may run through parts of the manuscript - plot twists, holes in the story which need filling, characters who need more depth. Sometimes even when hiking with another person these thoughts might sneak up on me. Just around the next bend the hill climbs even steeper and while trying to breathe I might stumble across something that Jayne would say or do. I don't plan write while on the trail - thoughts pop into my head as quickly as the lizard darts across my path. The thing that moves me away from the keyboard is what sits me back down ready to work.
You may say it's merely the act of physical exertion that works but I think it might also be my form of a muse. I don't get this inspiration from a demanding gym workout. That might give me the same sore muscles but being on an Arizona mountain with views for miles and amazing rock formations feeds my soul.
I hope you are able to follow the path to your inspiration.
Happy trails,
Leslie
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