“Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.”
Henry David Thoreau
I am lucky that I live in a very walkable area, I can walk to work, to the library and on a half a dozen trails within 15-20 minutes. Walking to inspire creative thought is not a new concept…many of our favorite writers and poets spent a goodly amount of time walking as part of their creative writing practice. Some of the more famous ones—Basho, the Romantic poets, John Muir, Ezra Pound–found inspiration on the walking path. According to Powell in Wabi Sabi For Writers the Japanese have a term for it “Ginko: A walk in nature for inspiration.”
Today, schedule in a walk. Walk for at least 45 minutes. Find a new walking trail or head to a favorite park or neighborhood. Take a camera, you might find writing prompts along the way. Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
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I love walking. Although I live in the city, it's in a very pretty neighborhood with lots of old tress and vintage (circa 1900-1930) homes, so I walk often, especially in spring and early summer. That's how I work out storylines in my head and organize them before I begin putting fingers to keyboard. Once, a few years ago, I walked the whole plot to a novel over the course of a few weeks. It sitting here unfinished, but that's another issue that has nothing to do with my writing while I walk. 😉
Great advice! Some of my best writing insight comes during a good three-mile walk. Consequently I never leave home without that most essential of peripatetic companions: a notebook.
Cheers,
James
http://vaultofstory.blogspot.com