My Five Favorite Places To Write



In the second theme day of the 2011 Blogathon, bloggers are writing about their top five favorite places to write.  Whether it be their next masterpiece, or a brainstorming "mind map," one thing influences it all - location, location, location! 

For me, overheard voices play a huge role in finding inspiration.  I can be anywhere (i.e. church, out to eat, near a T.V., at a laundromat, in a car, at a bar, etc.) and one single word, or phrase, uttered out of the mouth of a complete stranger can get my wheels spinning.  That is why I keep a small Moleskin journal in my bag at all times.  I love its size! It's perfect for my kind of tidbits (i.e. quotes and haikus.)

So, when thinking about where I like to write most, I immediately think about the places where I find the best material.  Like I said, it's all about location.

1. The Library.  With its seemingly infinite supply of useful information, the library is the first to make the list.  As a Creative Writing student in college, I was often found in the library.  In order to gain authority of a new subject, I would commonly stake out a long, wooden table and cover it with every book written about that topic.  I've skimmed through hundreds of pages looking for connections to my creative angles and many times found rewards in the most random places.  I still use this technique regularly, with my latest endeavor being research on eco-conscious Children's literature.  I would like to contribute my environmental point of view to this genre someday and find it extremely important to know what is out there now.  I mean, how else can you be a game changer if you don't already know the game?

2.  Outdoors.  Like Walt Whitman said, "I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars."  Whether camping out under the stars, walking through a rose garden, laying on the beach, or just sitting on a sunny patio, life is happening all around us and inspiration flows as easily as one will allow it.  Thousands of different sounds, colors, shapes, feelings, words and actions appear all around us all of the time.  If I simply bestill my mind, my senses begin to write.  The spontaneus world outside is, by far, my favorite place to write. 

3. My Super Comfy Bed.  I guess that writing from my bed started when I was young.  I could always retreat to my room for some quiet time and would usually fill the pages of my Hello Kitty diary with gushing love notes about boys.  I continued to write in this manner for many of my school years, usually in my journal at bedtime, always confessions of love.  As I got older, my bedtime writing shifted to the morning hours as I began eagerly decifering the symbols and unconscious messages sent to me through my dreams.  It was through the practice of dream interpretation and journaling that I discovered that I have psychic abilities.   Dream journaling has changed my life for the better, as I feel I am more connected to my unconscious now than I have ever been before.  I am able to recognize signs and symbols that appear throughout my day and connect them to the divine truth of my life's path.  It's mind blowing!  Really.        

4.  At Concerts. Lately I have been pulling out my journal at concerts and writing down random lyrics that I hear.  Like these overheard bits by Brett Dennen at Red Rocks Ampitheater, "Darlin', don't fear what you don't really know.  All your troubles don't stand a chance!" and "In the back of a Greyhound bus, you can be who you are."  I also took my journal out at a Tom Petty concert, which ended up as this:

Danced the night away with my sister, sang our hearts out, and from a lyric of each song on the set list, I wrote this:
She might need a little lovin, but she don't need you!
She's gonna make it on her own-
So, let's get to the point-
She moved out here-
The age of 18.
My little honey bee-
No I won't back down!
Learning to fly...
But I ain't got wings.
Comin down is the hardest thing
Don't come around here no more
Give it up! STOP!
Stop walking down my street
What do you expect from me?
You can believe what you wanna believe
You don't have to live like a refugee!!!
Workin on a mystery
Goin' wherever it leads...
I AM AN AMERICAN GIRL!

Kinda neat, right.  If anything, it's a cool memento to help recollect the set list that night. 

5. While driving.  I love taking road trips, and although it is not very safe, I write from behind the wheel.  I can't help it.  If I see a sign for a city with a cool name or an image that sparks a thought, I must write it.  The time alone on the road is perfect for self reflection and the hum of the tires on the pavement provides great rhythm for a spontaneous flow of poetry and emotion.  Combined with great music, writing and road trips are an amazing wealth of inspiration and drive. ;) 

Here is a poem I wrote while driving to California from Kansas City, MO.

The trees change
The farther I drive away

From my home.
I think of my mom.
The leaning telephone poles
One after another
Remind me that
Even if they don't stand tall
At least they get the job done.

Driving with my knee.
Writing suicidally
Drifting south, then
West, west, west. 
As the windmill harvests
The wind into energy,
The writer must keep writing
In order to build
The kind of steam
It takes to create
A masterpiece.

Thanks for reading!