How Water Affects Your Creativity and Your Writing
June 16, 2008
Have you ever thought about the effect that water might have on your creativity? Or noticed the way that your writing flows better when you’re near water, watching as your words tumble and flow onto the page?
If you’re anything like me you might have noticed it subconsciously or intuitively. I tend to feel more creative when I’m walking near water, even if it’s the quiet urban canal near where I live in Edinburgh.
But it’s definitely more inspiring when I’m out and about near moving water: watching a waterfall, walking along the shore watching the waves roll in or sitting by a harbour and watching the movement of people, water and boats.
Henriette Anne Klauser in “Write It Down, Make It Happen” suggests changing your environment and getting near water to write.
Being near water, especially moving water, gets ideas to flow… Streams, showers and waterfalls stimulate creativity. To create aha! moments in your life, to capture and expand your insights, for inspiration about the shape of your dreams, get near water, especially moving water.
Going across water, especially by ferry, has a similar effect for me: waking me up and signalling that I’ve moved to a ‘different’ place, not just geographically but the way things feel and the way my creativity starts to flow.
This is just one of the many reasons why Sardinia is the perfect venue for our writing workshops. It’s the journey to the island. The sense of movement and transition. Oh, and of course, the sea.
I’m hoping we can tempt Emma into writing a bit more about beaches, rocky shorelines and the Sardinian seaside in a post coming soon…
What impact does the environment have on your creativity? What kind of environment would you choose to help get the words to flow?
Joanna in Edinburgh
Photo Credit: Colori della mia Terra by goodintention on flickr
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What Inspires You To Write?
March 18, 2008
Writing inspiration is my theme this month at Confident Writing, and it’s got me thinking about what it is that inspires us to write.
Maybe it’s things: words, people, teachers, places, music, a poem, a mood, a painting
Or maybe you’re fuelled by a writing purpose, the intention that lies behind your words: to tell your story, to promote your business, to express and communicate something powerful and important.
I know some of the experiences we’ve built into the Absorbing Writing workshops and retreats are things that inspire me to write - new places, the chance to sit outside (all day) and soak up the sun, people watching, the sensory explosion that comes from good food and drink, time out from my routine, the journey to a new destination. Especially the journey, on every level.
How about you? What inspires you to write?
Changing places and shifting perspective
February 29, 2008
My stay in England has been unexpectedly extended and it looks like I’ll be here for another month. Not that I’m complaining. It’s lovely not having to charge around at 150kph (see, I’m all European now), trying to cram in seeing dozens of people in a matter of days all because my time in the country is limited.
I’m enjoying pub lunches, brisk walks along the beach, dipping my feet in the icy sea off Sandbanks, and listening to the woodpecker as he pecks away outside my bedroom window. It certainly beats waking up to the irritating ring tone on my mobile.
But what I didn’t expect was the effect this different routine would have on my writing. I’ve been jolted out of my ordinary every day surroundings of granite cliffs and kingfisher-blue sea that hug the soft, sandy beaches of the Costa Smeralda and thrust into the no less stunning scenery of Dorset that I took for granted when I was growing up.
And I’ve noticed my writing has changed as a result. It’s softer. More introspective. A reflection, certainly, of what’s going on in the outside world. Just as you’ll do when you join us for Absorbing Writing in Sardinia, I’ve shifted perspective and am now telling a different story to the one I left behind.
from Emma in Dorset
February 2008
Photo Credit: Hungry Woodpecker by Steffe on Flickr
The Pleasure Of Writing In A Café
February 11, 2008
There’s something about cafés that helps us to write.
Sometimes it’s the opportunity to sit, dream and wonder. Sometimes it’s the chance to people watch, to pay attention, to be truly mindful of what’s going on - and then write what we see. Perhaps it’s something to do with the ‘time out’ signal we get in a café - away from our routines, deadlines, things we’ve ‘got’ to do.
And I don’t know about you but there’s something about the environment of a café - the sounds of the coffee machine, smell of the cakes, light streaming in through lettered windows, the hubbub of conversation - that makes me want to write.
Natalie Goldberg describes this in Writing The Bones:
“Writing in a café can work… to improve concentration. Instead of reducing stimulation, the café atmosphere keeps that sensory part of you busy and happy, so that the deeper, quieter part of you that creates and concentrates is free to do so.”
It’s one of the reasons we’ve set aside ‘café’ time in our programmes - time to relax, to take time out, to people watch, to be mindful, to find the creative space to write.
Notes From The Elephant House Café
Edinburgh’s full of literary cafés and pubs, places where famous authors have sat and penned their works. I popped into one on Saturday, partly because I was thinking about just this - the relationship between cafés and writing - partly because I wanted to record a message to share with you all here, oh and partly because I wanted to do some writing 
The voice thread below has some pictures from the Elephant House Café, one of the cafés where J.K.Rowling wrote Harry Potter, and a thread of my voice. Just press the arrow to start it playing,and it’ll then scroll automatically through the three ‘pages’.
Although I believe we can use our written words to create a powerful connection - and that’s one of the things we’ll be working on in the conversation - it can only take us so far. We depend on other things - photos, the sound of someone’s voice, to create a fuller impression… until, that is, we get the chance to meet in person.
If you like the sound of café writing in Sardinia, let us know! Just drop us a line at info@absorbingwriting.com and we’ll take it from there.
from Joanna in Edinburgh
February 2008
Writing Doesn’t Need To Be A Lonely Business
February 6, 2008
Writing doesn’t need to be a lonely business.
Of course some parts of the writing process are deeply personal and private, but sharing our words together is a great way not just to stretch and improve the way that we write but also to rediscover the fun, the spark and the passion in the writing process.
Join us in Sardinia and you’ll be guaranteed a small group setting - a maximum of 10 participants, plus me and Emma. And the way we’ve structured the programme means there’ll be plenty of opportunities to:
- chat to other people about your writing hopes, fears, dreams and aspirations
- find out how others have approached different styles of writing
- get ideas, tips and inspiration from aspiring writers, just like you
- share your words in a supportive group setting - and enjoy the buzz of constructive feedback
- explore new ideas, words, writing possibilities over a good meal and glass of wine
Sound good?
If you want to be part of the group, let us know! Just drop us a line at info@absorbingwriting.com and we’ll take it from there.
from Joanna in Edinburgh
February 2008
7 Ways That Travel Helps Us Write
January 30, 2008
One of the enquiries we’ve had about the workshop is whether the focus is on travel or more general writing.
My answer was that it’s more general (within the spectrum of non-fiction writing), but also that:
“…we will be building on the experience of travel to get you
writing with more energy - writing with all your senses, being mindful etc.”
This conversation got me thinking a bit more about the ways that travel helps us write. Here are the 7 that I came up with. What would you add to the list?
Travel:
- Takes us out of our comfort zone I’ve never been on a journey yet that doesn’t do something to challenge and unsettle - but also to wake us up, to grab our attention, to bring our stagnant senses back to life
- Shifts our perspective We look at things differently both as we travel and when we arrive. Changing perspective is an important part of the writing process. As Chris Garrett puts it:
The fact is if we get stuck in a routine, if we don’t try to mix it up a bit, then we will lose our mojo which will cause our audience to be less engaged
Having an occasional break out of the norm keeps all of us on our toes. It’s also fun sometimes to have a play with your writing so that it doesn’t become a chore.
- Takes us on a journey Travel gives time for reflection. Most of us notice some shifts in our thoughts, feelings, emotions - a change in the metaphorical journey we’re on, as well as the practical one. (And that normally inspires a written response!)
- Rejuvenates the spirit Sometimes our writing has lost its soul, its spirit, without us knowing how or why. As Emma wrote, a change of scene can bring our writing back to life, awakening the senses, inspiring the words.
- Forces us to pay attention Travel can be stressful and demanding. You need to have your wits about you, to pay attention to what’s going on. This act of paying attention is a great preparation for writing (and something we’ll be practicing with you in Sardinia)
- Reminds us we’re human Travel is dirty, messy, frustrating, exciting, tiring, exhilarating, noisy, inspiring, exhausting. It brings our feet back to the ground - and stomachs to the table. Writing from this state is much more likely to be vivid, vital, exciting, absorbing.
- Tells a different story The world’s never quite the same after a journey… Something always happens that changes things, that changes you, for ever.
Join us in Sardinia and you’ll be writing at least one piece that’s inspired by your journey.
Of course we’ll all be arriving from different places. Maybe, like Emma, you’ll be coming from elsewhere on the island, or, maybe, like me, you’ll be travelling from the cold climes of northern Europe. Perhaps you’ll join us from much further afield, or pop over from the mainland of Italy. But whatever the journey you make, we know it’ll give you something to write about
from Joanna in Edinburgh
January 2008
Photo Credit: Train Station In Alghero, Sardegna by Seewah on Flickr
How writing helps to shift our focus
January 22, 2008
One of the things I notice about writing every day is that helps to shift my focus.
When the ‘big picture’ threatens to overwhelm we can use our words to shift back down to the here and now, paying attention to specifics, noticing, and wondering, at the detail of everyday life.
And when the world seems drab and grey we can choose to look up and around for different possibilities, new worlds to be explored, that wild unnoticed flash of colour.
Some days this matters more than others. I don’t know what it is about January in the UK. A fortnight ago I was writing about ‘holiday day’
the most popular day of the year to banish the post-Christmas blues and book a summer holiday
Yesterday was dubbed “the bleakest day of the year” in Britain, because of these six things:
the dank and gloomy weather; Christmas debt; a feeling of monotony after the Christmas cheer has faded; broken New Year’s resolutions; low levels of motivation; and a desperate feeling that you need to take action to improve your drab existence.
And yes, the weather yesterday was truly miserable. Cold, dark and pouring with rain. (And no Emma it doesn’t entirely help to hear that it’s t-shirt weather in Sardinia!)
So I kept my focus firmly on things that would keep me looking up, looking forward, and thinking positive thoughts.
Writing. My Italian class. Looking forward to autumn sunshine in Sardinia. And thinking, yes, a writing holiday in Italy does, indeed, sound good.
from Joanna in Edinburgh
January 2008
Photo Credit: Vista by antonellomusina on Flickr
Reflections on travel writing
December 24, 2007
I love this picture of the boats in Alghero harbour.
It talks to me of what I love most about travel writing.
Capturing the colour of an experience, the essence of a place. The time to stop, watch, reflect and wonder.
The time and space to reflect on what you’ve seen, what you’ve felt, heard and experienced, and how it fits, somehow, into the bigger picture of your life.
from Joanna in Edinburgh
December 2007
People watching
December 24, 2007
A black and white photo of a fisherman at Alghero harbour.
Watch quietly. Listen. Observe.
Then describe what you see. Add colour to the picture. Bring the story to life.
from Joanna in Edinburgh
December 2007
Photo Credit: Alghero Fisherman by ulybug on flickr
Brevity, simplicity, clarity
December 24, 2007
We’ll be looking at some key ingredients of absorbing writing in the 4 day workshop: brevity, simplicity, clarity.
This picture got me thinking about the workshop and some ways of getting into that clear frame of mind.
Take a look at this photo of the harbour - and then think for a moment.
What does it teach you about brevity, simplicity, clarity? How could you apply that learning to your writing?
from Joanna in Edinburgh
December 2007
Photo Credit: alghero harbour by AnnaKika on flickr