Walk That Story Out
Writers begin their days in many ways with many rituals.
Some include coffee, some with inspirational reading, and some with banging
their heads against their computer keyboards because they don’t know where
their story is going. My favorite way to begin my writing day is with walking.
Walking, you ask? To begin writing? Yes!
When I write, there is nothing like a long walk to energize
my brain—physically and inspirationally. I march a while for exercise, getting
my blood flowing; then it turns into a head-clearing stroll as I notice the
trees and nature around me, and finally it turns into a storyboard walk.
I recall where I last ended my story and evaluate how the
plot is going and the characters are developing. I work out any problems that I
may have there, and then I begin to think about where I want to end up on that
writing day. Finally, I think about how I’m going to reach my writing goal
while writing that day.
The remainder of my walk is figuring out details, imagining
scenes, and developing dialogue for my characters. (For those of you who don’t
write, hearing imaginary voices in your heads is NOT a good thing.)
Walking—yes, physical exercise—energizes my body, mind,
spirit…and story! So, writers, walk that story out!
