Get Outside the House

Get outside the house and do something. Walk the dog, visit a neighbor, stroll around the neighborhood. — Write Right

“Give yourself time to think about your work away from a screen,” says Iain Broome. “Mow your lawn. Wash the pots. Build a bookcase. Drift away. Find boredom. Think your thoughts. Write them down. Do your work.” (If you haven’t subscribed to his email newsletter, you should. It’s a good one.)

Obviously, he and I have similar thoughts about the writing life—get away from the screen for a while. Focus on something else. Let the thing that’s niggling the back of your head find its way to the front.

I promise it won’t come if you place all your attention on it. It’s like trying to remember a person’s name. You can’t do it when on the spot. The name only comes minutes later, usually after the person you wanted to tell it to is long gone.

The writing life is like that sometimes. To write well, you have to get away from it for a bit. Let the words germinate. They aren’t yet ready to peek their heads above the ground. Give them attention by not giving them attention.

Strange, but it works. Caring for the other parts of your life—and that can mean mowing the yard or taking out the garbage—waters all of it. Getting into the sunshine lets the rays touch the words. They start to send out shoots. You feel them stirring into life.

Let the watering and the sunshine have their effect. Don’t force the growth; be patient. The words will come. You just need to get outside the house for them to do it.

Looking for more thoughts on the writing life? Consider purchasing a copy of Write Right’s Emergency Hope Kit, available on Amazon.