Exercise is important when you write. You don’t have to get into complicated gym routines but try to walk every day if you can. It gets the juices flowing and ideas moving and if you have your notebook handy you can catch it all. I start out with my mini notepad in my bag but once I get to the park, I’m stopping so often to jot, I do the rest of my walk armed and ready to draw, notebook in one hand, pen in the other. I imagine meeting another writer and having a quick draw session but the closest I get is a guy who walks quite briskly and reads, with a ‘don’t under any circumstance talk to me’ look on his face. I want to yell – look out, look out a train’s coming! But I don’t. Actually I want to shout – look I’m writing one of those things you’re reading. Right now! And you’re going to be in it. Isn’t that incredible. One day this, (holding up my mini note pad) will be that, (pointing at his big fat book). But I don’t of course.
On a plane exercising is a little more restricted but if it’s a big airbus you can do a few laps of the aisles. Go up one side come down the other. Wander into business class by mistake just to see how the other half are living. See if you can spot any famous people. If not see how many grumpy fat cats you can count. Sit down to rest for a moment if there is a spare seat, just to experience the sense of space and luxury. If someone asks you what you are doing there tell them you were on the way to the loo and got a little lost – now you are feeling faint. Who knows they might take pity and upgrade you. When you do get to the toilet, do your business, freshen up a little but be careful what you touch. You don’t know which germ spreader has been in here before you. Take note of all visual details (yes even in the toilet) in case you want to use it in a story about a character who drops his gold watch in the bowl and trying to retrieve it gets sucked out into the universe by the scary, sucking, flushing noise.
On the way back notice how many people are sleeping mouth open, legs tangled, ears squashed against the window. Which fairy tale does it remind you of? Imagine a scene where everyone falls asleep each time an important announcement is about to be made. Think about how to use the device of sleep in your writing. If you have a difficult scene you can’t crack, try putting them all to sleep and see what happens. I have always wanted to write a play where at least one character sleeps the whole way through. Never wakes up And I would play her. I’m sure someone else has done it by now but that should never stop us. Nothing is original, this we know. The most common themes – desire, love, betrayal, death are written ad infinitum. So what can you add that someone else hasn’t already? Your original voice – no one can write like you simply because no body else is you. We have to remind ourselves of this every time we go into a bookshop and bump into tables stacked ceiling high with the latest new releases. ‘But who will be interested in my story’ your little voice whines out. Everyone who is buying this lot, is the answer. For if you put all those new release writers (and you) on a plane and ask them to write about the sleeping, gaping, open mouthed passengers who wake up, go to the loo and get sucked out into the cosmos, you’d get a bunch of wildly different stories that readers will be hungry to buy. Some may even become best sellers.
Don’t forget Writers Journey has exercise a plenty coming up – writing and snorkeling in Fiji March 13-20 and walking and writing with Desert Writers June 25- July 2 . Click on Journeys for all info.
