Walking causes a repetitive, spontaneous poetry to rise naturally to the lips, words as simple as the sound of footsteps on the road.
L.M. Browning
Creativity thrives when we break out of our same old routine. Even the smallest changes can help get us out of a rut and encourage creative thinking.
Part of my work life is spent mentoring new writers and helping them achieve the goal of writing a book. One recent mentee has dyslexia that was undiagnosed as a child. She suffered as a result and was told she wasn’t smart. This woman has gone on to run a fashion house, a styling business, and is a very successful business coach. Working with someone who tells me they are not a writer, but still want to write a book is quite common. Sometimes, these writers need different strategies to reach their goals.
Part of the process is drawing out the person’s story and voice. Sometimes, it takes a few sessions to hone in on the story they want to tell. I’ve often gone on literal walks with people to help unlock their story and, sometimes, we mentally take a walk and play with their ideas. Some have written their big ideas on butcher’s paper and taped them up around a room. They then walk around and view the frame of their story, perhaps shifting or adding to them.
One friend has a clothesline strung above her desk. She pegs draft chapters along the line and edits them by unpegging and re-pegging to give a visual frame to her story. Getting up and away from the desk and screen can invigorate our thinking process.
Changing our physical environment has many benefits. Walking boosts mood as well as getting the blood pumping through the body. I find I get great ideas when walking in the bush or along a deserted beach. The benefits of getting outside are enormous. Steve Jobs used to hold walking meetings to brainstorm ideas. Tchaikovsky took walks around his village before working on his latest creation.
When I struggle to write, a walk releases not only endorphins it helps release the words. Whenever I attend a writing retreat, I start the day with a walk and find time to walk during breaks, even if it’s for five minutes.
One of my works-in-progress is about a woman who goes on a pilgrimage to escape the difficulties of her life and in the process, finds herself again. The tradition of pilgrimage is embedded in history. Walking, it seems, is more than a physical activity, it helps the mind and soul.
Those knotty writing and life problems seem to like being taken for a walk. If you’re struggling with writing, take your work-in-progress for a walk, say a prayer or two, and maybe you’ll find something unlocks inside you. Maybe the words will start to flow.
