Writers First Aid

A Walking Idea Factory

February 26, 2010

walking Some days I feel about as creative as a cement block. Most of us know, however, that we can’t wait to feel creative before we write.

Writers who wait for inspiration before they decide to write are generally known as hobbyists. Working writers-those actively writing and growing in their craft-must write whether the muse is “in” or not.

“Which means, essentially,” James Scott Bell says, “you have to become a walking idea factory.” And he really does mean walking. He said he gets a lot of his ideas for his current work-in-progress when walking. I know other writers who’ve said the same thing.

Dragging My Heels

I love to walk-but I have usually balked at this kind of “work while you walk” advice. After working at my desk, I want a break. And mulling over my novel while taking a walk doesn’t do a darned thing to refresh me. My brain is too tired. When I walk, I want to listen to a book on tape, something Jane Austen-y that I know will feed my soul. Thinking about my own novel just feels like more work to me.

But…that’s not what Bell recommends! In his The Art of War for Writers, he says that after a writing session, “I try to take an hour walk every day and listen to an audio book.” Inevitably his muse or imagination (what he calls “the boys in the basement”) sends up ideas for his work-in-progress while he’s listening to his audio book for relaxation. When that happens, he stops, makes a note in the pocket notebook he carries, then goes back to his audio book and walks some more.

He calls this his system for “being creative without thinking about it. That way you can be ‘working’ on your idea even when you’re not working on it.”

Then What?

For several days I tried Bell’s system. I hadn’t expected it to work-but it did! While walking and listening to Pride and Prejudice on my MP3 player, my brain released a good number of ideas-things that I could later develop (a secondary character’s flaw, a plot twist that would also show the book’s theme, a better setting for the climax scene). I have to admit that I was very surprised how well this worked.

If you want to try it, here are Bell’s steps for becoming a walking idea factory.

Focus fully on your book or story idea during your writing time.
Take a walk and relax, then capture the ideas that pop up during your walk.
Back home, immediately put your recorded bits in a computer file. Expand on them, brainstorm the ideas, follow rabbit trails. Do that with each idea that popped up on your walk.
Let the ideas cool for a day and then come back to them for assessment.
Decide which ideas to keep and use in your current work. Set the others aside for another project.

Bell says if you get used to thinking this way, your creativity will explode!

Post tags: creativity, dreams, focusing, ideas, psychology of writing

Posted in: creativity,getting started,habits,ideas,inspiration,writing anxiety,writing process | | Comments (5)

5 Comments »

I’ve never heard of this before. I’ll try it!

Comment by Amy Tate — February 26, 2010 @ 10:54 am
It was news to me too, Amy! I was very skeptical, but the proof was in the trying and seeing the results. I love that the brain can go ahead and work on the story without me!

Comment by Kristi Holl — February 27, 2010 @ 7:31 am
I want exploding creativity!

Comment by Yvette — February 27, 2010 @ 9:22 pm
can you please recommend a software for writers that has the forms to outline stories and articles Im on lesson 8 and anxious to be a grad and write.
Thanks for your time
BH

Comment by Bill Hesse — March 14, 2010 @ 9:10 pm
Bill, I don’t know of any such software with forms for outlines. There may be some out there, but I’ve never looked for any. Try Googling “outline software” and see if anything comes up. I’ll post your question here and see if anyone else knows the answer to it.

Comment by Kristi Holl — March 15, 2010 @ 6:16 am