Afternoon, y'all! Still don't have my home office to myself yet since it's doing double duty as a temporary storage container/tool shed. But it's okay. I lived without a home office for years and found other places to write and think and brainstorm. You might laugh, but one of the places where I'm the most creative is the bathtub.
The tub has always been my go-to pace to relax. Not only is the feeling of the water soothing on my skin, the trickling and splashing noises calm me, too. Certain smells invigorate or inspire me, and I can really let go listening to the birds and wind-chimes in my backyard.
When I start thinking about my writing the ideas flow around me like the scented water. I feel free to imagine all the possible outcomes of my writerly decisions, seeing them as if I'd typed the scenes. There's no worry that I might make a mistake and choose the wrong path; I can see them all laid out before me like a master chess player. When I'm stuck, nothing helps me see all my options more clearly than a nice long bath.
Just this morning I worked through a particular problem in the tub that had been plaguing me for weeks now. I needed to introduce a character earlier in the manuscript, but I just couldn't think of where to stick him in until this morning's bath and VIOLA! Fifteen minutes of soaking and thinking did the trick where an hour's worth of brainstorming in my notebook failed.
Where do you do your best brainstorming?
Coffee shops, public transportation? The park, hidden away in your dorm/bedroom/office?
4 comments:
I like to read in the tub, so I'm pretty distracted in there. I do my best thinking in the car, as long as I'm alone. Talking it out with my husband helps a lot too.
Hooray for solving your problem! :)
Love that tub, and that bathroom looks awesome! Talk about inspiration.
Awesome. I was just talking with Yat-Yee about this on her blog in the comments section. The best place for me is the shower. I love the shower. I plan most of my best stuff in there!
So is that a picture of your bathtub? Hehe.
Another tub thinker here. Preferably with a glass of vino. Bed is another good place, morning or night. Doing housework and working out are also good times for me to think through stories.
Abby, thanks! I've been feeling much less stressed and far more creative today. It's nice getting my life back in order.
Glam, it will be when I make my millions. ;) The shower, huh? Water and creativity must go hand in hand, lol!
NAiFF, good to meet another tub thinker. The vino can be a little dangerous for me in the tub, but I love a cold Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier or a Hitachino White Ale. For some reason housework and brainstorming don't mix for me. I just keep thinking of how much more stuff I have to get done before I quit!
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