Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Writing in weird places?

I'd been having trouble writing anything worth keeping these last few weeks when a good idea started trying to get my attention. I was walking to the gym, and in the past I would have stopped and written my idea down, but this time I started running, trying to keep track/develop the lines as I went around the track.

I've been "writing" at the gym for a month or two, now, and something I've noticed is that the words take on a different character (more sound-based, a little more patient) when I'm thinking them up (and having to half-memorize them) while running and hitting the weights, than when I'm not involved in some repetitive physical activity.

(Sadly, this is not my invention: one of the reasons I started composing while running was because I read that Sharon Olds used to compose while hitting the weights.)

But what I'm wondering is: Do you have any weird places/activities that both motivate and alter your writing habits in cool, unexpected ways?

9 comments:

  1. I get up at like 5 am and write while I'm still half asleep. I get all kinds of cool stuff I wouldn't otherwise write onto the page.

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  2. I "write" when I'm running too! I know that I forget some of those ideas, but the ones I hang onto are very much worthwhile.

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  3. I write at the laundromat sometimes, but I don't think it's necessarily that weird -- I've heard that Raymond Carver used to do the same thing.

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  4. ya know, i have recently started doing this as well instead of jotting the idea down to flesh out later (granted i'm not running but walking!) but i always seem to get ideas while i am driving on long trips. i'll find myself turning off the radio/iTouch to create until I feel i have to pull over and write it down or record it on my cell phone :)

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  5. i mostly write on my couch, but occasionally write in public, which is a whole different thing. I want to try writing in more unusual places, but unlike when I think of this in relation to sex, I can't think of any good ones. i suppose i also 'write' in the shower, and usually just before sleeping too.

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  6. I like to write in class--as in, when I'm teaching. This is obviously easier when I've giving a test or letting the students have review time, but sometimes I find that I want to just scribble something down really quickly between bouts of ranting about Brave New World.

    I also have been "writing" on the bus lately. The solitude and peace of mind I get while riding through town, letting my headphones block out all outside noise, really seems to aid in mental composition. That's the only upside of having an hour-ish commute on public transportation to get to work in the morning.

    NM

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  7. I write (in my head) while driving all the time. When I lived in Atlanta and there was tons of traffic I could finish a whole piece in my head. I think you're right about what having to memorize it does for it. I was writing more rhythmic work then. Now I just toss around lines in my head and try to get something to go with them.

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  8. Thanks for reminding me of other places in which I compose, Tory and JayTee! The shower and the car both tend to generate thoughts that make their way into poems for me as well!

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