I really related to your experience of action and alternative forms shaking up yr writing in good ways. I like to walk to plot and detail in my mind - flaneur-styles in the city, or in the country lanes around my house. Just nosing about. I got inspired by the loop of sandy track around Charles Darwin’s house. About 1km circle. Maybe less, that he used to perambulate to stimulate and stack ideas. If i ever have creative meetings I like to invite people to walk with me, there’s something super collaborative about shoulder to shoulder walking (or bus ride if theyre not so mobile) that gets my ideas flowing. As opposed to sitting across a desk from
Someone face to face. I dont know why. I run, too, and strangely i find that is useless for thinking or creativity. But good for turning off my brain.
YES to walking, moving. My son who homeschooled did hours of walking, listening to history podcasts, and I have always been blown away by how he absorbed. Kinetic learning.
Love the idea of sharing a bus ride for collaborative purpose. (It rather connects with the July 1 newsletter prompt... you'll see!)
I love this thought - "Dance forced me to move and to be, with no thought about anything else, and to push ahead. There is no such thing as “dancer’s block”—“block” is not allowed to exist. Imagine if this was true of writing?" I do think writing as a 'dancer performing' happens naturally for me sometimes more than others - when I catch the flow....or the string of the kite that is pulled in and I don't have the continuous "need to stop" or "need to change" thoughts. This happens more randomly but I'd like to be able to learn to be more purposeful and set time aside to just "perform the dance" and write uninterrupted or unblocked.
I wonder about--if not actually dancing--pondering what it means not to "have" block... to have only the need to keep moving. And then to make your time for writing after such pondering. Maybe thinking about the flow of the story at hand, instead of the act of writing... thinking "aloud" here... (hence the ellipses!)
So true. And well said. Wandering through art exhibits, and especially through natural settings. No words, but as much (or more) inspiration than reading a good book.
I really related to your experience of action and alternative forms shaking up yr writing in good ways. I like to walk to plot and detail in my mind - flaneur-styles in the city, or in the country lanes around my house. Just nosing about. I got inspired by the loop of sandy track around Charles Darwin’s house. About 1km circle. Maybe less, that he used to perambulate to stimulate and stack ideas. If i ever have creative meetings I like to invite people to walk with me, there’s something super collaborative about shoulder to shoulder walking (or bus ride if theyre not so mobile) that gets my ideas flowing. As opposed to sitting across a desk from
Someone face to face. I dont know why. I run, too, and strangely i find that is useless for thinking or creativity. But good for turning off my brain.
And turning off the brain has its own use indeed.
YES to walking, moving. My son who homeschooled did hours of walking, listening to history podcasts, and I have always been blown away by how he absorbed. Kinetic learning.
Love the idea of sharing a bus ride for collaborative purpose. (It rather connects with the July 1 newsletter prompt... you'll see!)
I love this thought - "Dance forced me to move and to be, with no thought about anything else, and to push ahead. There is no such thing as “dancer’s block”—“block” is not allowed to exist. Imagine if this was true of writing?" I do think writing as a 'dancer performing' happens naturally for me sometimes more than others - when I catch the flow....or the string of the kite that is pulled in and I don't have the continuous "need to stop" or "need to change" thoughts. This happens more randomly but I'd like to be able to learn to be more purposeful and set time aside to just "perform the dance" and write uninterrupted or unblocked.
I wonder about--if not actually dancing--pondering what it means not to "have" block... to have only the need to keep moving. And then to make your time for writing after such pondering. Maybe thinking about the flow of the story at hand, instead of the act of writing... thinking "aloud" here... (hence the ellipses!)
Yes....I have been using this strategy for other things. Thinking positively about doing whatever it is I want to start doing before I start doing it.
So true. And well said. Wandering through art exhibits, and especially through natural settings. No words, but as much (or more) inspiration than reading a good book.