The Walking Writing-Individual Person
I read somewhere, not so long ago, that some very famous writers did a lot of walking. For example, Charles Dickens would go out every night and walk for hours. I like this trait. It seems to match my own tendencies when I have the opportunities to have them. Though, on the flipside, I think it interesting the change in atmosphere from when Charles Dickens would walk and where and how I would walk today.
When I was living (and going on long walks) in New Hampshire, many days and evenings I would find myself stopping, on occasion, and talking to different people. This was interesting, in the sense that I was clearly a stranger in the neighborhoods; but a stranger with a purpose – putting pavement behind me. I had ulterior motives for walking, mostly health related and surviving the day; but the other side of the coin was that I had a lot of time whenever I went for a walk to just think about things.
As a result, I can see how authors would become walkers. Especially when dealing with a deadline or working through an issue with the piece, the act of walking helps one collect thoughts, work through ideas, look at other options that might be present (or available), and for the truly insane (not really), hold conversations with their characters; or the author can just walk (mentally) through the landscape of the environment that is being written in.
I’ve started walking again, pretty regularly. Sometimes I get in to modes where I forget how much I enjoy walking – mostly that happens when I am not walking, and then I wonder what it is going to take to get me walking again. This week, I don’t know what it was… I just started walking again. Sunday, specifically. After church I told Erin I wanted to go for a walk (she is always invited) and then informed her if she was going to come with me we needed to turn around when I wanted to turn around – which meant a longer walk than normal. Monday, because the length of the walk hurt me, I went most of the way to the Riverwoods and then turned around. Tuesday, Erin went with me again and we made it all the way to the intersection on University – which really means we made it to the Riverwoods. Last night, I walked the Provo Canyon trail (same as Sunday) and was out for a couple of hours.
The cool thing about last night was that I got to focus, more, on my talk for church and I started to think about a decision I made earlier this year dealing with someone I was working for. I’d never thought about the ramifications of what I’d done, quitting a job, until last night or many of the reasons I felt it necessary; and yet, after nearly an hour of working through the reasons why, I realized that I was very comfortable with my decision and the reasons that led up to it and could stand in front of the person I’d worked for and confidently and coherently tell him (if I was ever asked) why I did what I did.
I don’t think that will come up. I don’t see a reason I would ever need to do that. At the same time, it was nice to have a little bit of my past come together at an unexpected time and to realize that, if nothing else, I was true to my own convictions and had gotten to a point where I was really ready to move on.
Walking is so nice and therapeutic. I mean, so much happens between the front door and the front door and all with nothing more in mind than to put one foot in front of another again and again and again – getting halfway to tired, and then turning around and making your way back to the same front door. I find this more helpful than almost anything.
I think, in the long run, when I am done going to school, done with tech-support, and done with other aspects of my current life, I want to be known as a Walking Writer.
John Hattaway | smokingpen | Alicia Grey | Clockwork Princess | Bond. James Bond
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