Thaddeus Nowak's Blog: Thoughts and Observations - Posts Tagged "hiking"
Finding Time To Write
This is part of the discussion I had with the students at Patton and I thought I would share some of theme here.
One item I mentioned to them is that with my busy life, I find it hard to always find time in front of the keyboard (and I really don't write long handed these days) so I tend to "write" in my head when I have the free time.
Now before people start wondering about what's going on in my head (and you may not want to know), by "writing" in my head, I mean I work out the scenes, think out the consequences of plot twists, consider dialogue for the characters, etc. If I can make use of the time standing in queue to check out at the store or when stuck waiting for the car to be services, so much the better. And working on my book, even if only through a thought experiment is personally rewarding.
When I do get time in front of the computer, all I really need to do is replay the scene I devised in my head and type it out. I don't have to spend the time for typing working out those details. It allows me to make more progress than if I had simply stared at the people ahead of me and wondered "why are they buying those things?"
One of my favorite times to work on my writing in this fashion is when I am out hiking. Today I spent the morning in the woods, along a dirt trail, rain threatening at any moment (and me wishing it would come to clear out some of the humidity). It was early enough that we were the first ones out there this morning and the squirrels scattered through the leaves and branches as we made our way along the twisting path. We chased a couple of toads off, hoping they won't come back to the path to get stepped on, and I knocked down spider webs, sometimes with my face. In all, it was a great morning.
For me, hiking in the woods (and mountains when I get the chance) really sets the mood in my head for writing. Of course, I tend to write fantasy with outdoor scenes, so it is natural that my surroundings echo their way into the backdrop of the story I am working on.
Hopefully other people who like to write can find similar places and uses for time away from the computer that allow them to keep working on their story.
One item I mentioned to them is that with my busy life, I find it hard to always find time in front of the keyboard (and I really don't write long handed these days) so I tend to "write" in my head when I have the free time.
Now before people start wondering about what's going on in my head (and you may not want to know), by "writing" in my head, I mean I work out the scenes, think out the consequences of plot twists, consider dialogue for the characters, etc. If I can make use of the time standing in queue to check out at the store or when stuck waiting for the car to be services, so much the better. And working on my book, even if only through a thought experiment is personally rewarding.
When I do get time in front of the computer, all I really need to do is replay the scene I devised in my head and type it out. I don't have to spend the time for typing working out those details. It allows me to make more progress than if I had simply stared at the people ahead of me and wondered "why are they buying those things?"
One of my favorite times to work on my writing in this fashion is when I am out hiking. Today I spent the morning in the woods, along a dirt trail, rain threatening at any moment (and me wishing it would come to clear out some of the humidity). It was early enough that we were the first ones out there this morning and the squirrels scattered through the leaves and branches as we made our way along the twisting path. We chased a couple of toads off, hoping they won't come back to the path to get stepped on, and I knocked down spider webs, sometimes with my face. In all, it was a great morning.
For me, hiking in the woods (and mountains when I get the chance) really sets the mood in my head for writing. Of course, I tend to write fantasy with outdoor scenes, so it is natural that my surroundings echo their way into the backdrop of the story I am working on.
Hopefully other people who like to write can find similar places and uses for time away from the computer that allow them to keep working on their story.
Projectile Snot (Dollar The Scholar #3)
Dollar (The Scholar) knows what he likes, and it is not getting his face washed or brushed. Frankly, he just doesn't like getting a bath. We tend to end up just as wet as he does.
For the face brushing, he's perfected the art of projectile snot. He claims it is all the small hairs and dust that get up his nose, but he holds it back until he can get you point blank in the chest. The only way to avoid his powerful nose blowing is to stay out of his line of sight for a while or feed him treats. He'll forgo covering you with snot if he's been bought off. He's a clever one, got us training.
One thing we had always wished we could do with Dollar was take him trail riding in the mountains. Unfortunately, he's old enough now to be retired, so that will not happen with him. But here is an image of a trail we enjoyed when hiking Mt. Hood:
For the face brushing, he's perfected the art of projectile snot. He claims it is all the small hairs and dust that get up his nose, but he holds it back until he can get you point blank in the chest. The only way to avoid his powerful nose blowing is to stay out of his line of sight for a while or feed him treats. He'll forgo covering you with snot if he's been bought off. He's a clever one, got us training.
One thing we had always wished we could do with Dollar was take him trail riding in the mountains. Unfortunately, he's old enough now to be retired, so that will not happen with him. But here is an image of a trail we enjoyed when hiking Mt. Hood:
Where'd that week go????
Wow, wasn't it just Monday?
Well, Monday's kind of suck most of the time, perhaps I should wonder where Tuesday went.
It is amazing how busy someone can get and still not manage to get enough done.
First off, I've added a couple of dates to my KC Ren Fest schedule. In addition to today, I will be there tomorrow (23 Sep 2012) and Sunday 7 Oct 2012. If you're in the area, come out and we and can talk. I'll even sign a copy of Mother's Curse for you (booth 531).
Back to my missing week. This last week felt so busy and I was mostly trying to catch up. The weekend prior I was on holiday and that shifted everything around. Of course, I can't complain about being on holiday and I really had a great weekend. We didn't go too far, just took a trip out to St. Louis Friday night and got in some hiking on Saturday and Sunday, then drove back on Monday.
This was me at Hawn State park:
On Saturday, we hiked 10.5 miles on the Pickle Creak and Whispering Pine trails. Then on Sunday, we put in 7.5 miles between Castlewood and Hawn state parks.
Also had to stop by REI. That store is as bad as a book store for us. Definitely will not leave without buying something.
The weather wasn't great for photos (cloud filled skies), so you won't see much from us. However, it was perfect for hiking. Not too hot and a little bit of drizzle dropping from the sky to make things interesting (note, I do like hiking in a light rain).
Here is what the sky looked like most of the time:
On the writing front, I did not get much on paper, but during the 6 - 7 hours on the trails, I was able to mentally flesh out more plot details of the book after the one I am currently working on.
For me, that is the one greatest part of hiking. We were well away from most people (only seeing a few others on the trails at Hawn) and just enveloped by the peacefulness of the trail. Stress just melts away and you can relax outside of your daily life. It gave me lots of time to think and simply enjoy the day.
Now that I am back in front of my computer, I need to get back to putting words down on paper. Another exhilarating pass time that I don't think I can ever get enough of.
Well, now, off to Fest....huzzah!
Well, Monday's kind of suck most of the time, perhaps I should wonder where Tuesday went.
It is amazing how busy someone can get and still not manage to get enough done.
First off, I've added a couple of dates to my KC Ren Fest schedule. In addition to today, I will be there tomorrow (23 Sep 2012) and Sunday 7 Oct 2012. If you're in the area, come out and we and can talk. I'll even sign a copy of Mother's Curse for you (booth 531).
Back to my missing week. This last week felt so busy and I was mostly trying to catch up. The weekend prior I was on holiday and that shifted everything around. Of course, I can't complain about being on holiday and I really had a great weekend. We didn't go too far, just took a trip out to St. Louis Friday night and got in some hiking on Saturday and Sunday, then drove back on Monday.
This was me at Hawn State park:
On Saturday, we hiked 10.5 miles on the Pickle Creak and Whispering Pine trails. Then on Sunday, we put in 7.5 miles between Castlewood and Hawn state parks.
Also had to stop by REI. That store is as bad as a book store for us. Definitely will not leave without buying something.
The weather wasn't great for photos (cloud filled skies), so you won't see much from us. However, it was perfect for hiking. Not too hot and a little bit of drizzle dropping from the sky to make things interesting (note, I do like hiking in a light rain).
Here is what the sky looked like most of the time:
On the writing front, I did not get much on paper, but during the 6 - 7 hours on the trails, I was able to mentally flesh out more plot details of the book after the one I am currently working on.
For me, that is the one greatest part of hiking. We were well away from most people (only seeing a few others on the trails at Hawn) and just enveloped by the peacefulness of the trail. Stress just melts away and you can relax outside of your daily life. It gave me lots of time to think and simply enjoy the day.
Now that I am back in front of my computer, I need to get back to putting words down on paper. Another exhilarating pass time that I don't think I can ever get enough of.
Well, now, off to Fest....huzzah!
Thoughts and Observations
This will contain some of my random thoughts and observations. Sometimes serious, sometimes entertaining, hopefully witty when intended.
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