Writing and Hiking
By Jim Dempsey | June 9, 2020 |
Charles Dickens died this day, June 9, 150 years ago. He gave many pieces of writing advice throughout his incredible career, the most famous, and probably best, of which was: “Make them laugh, make them cry, make them wait.” It was the motto against which he judged his own work.
He also recognized the toll writing can take on an author, the “wear and tear,” and saw the importance of taking a break from writing, of having distractions away from quill and ink, computer and keyboard.
You must remember that in all your literary aspiration, and whether thinking or writing, it is indispensably necessary to relieve that wear and tear of the mind by some other exertion that may be wholesomely set against it.
For many writers, that relief comes from walking. “Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow,” wrote Henry David Thoreau. For Nietzsche, “Only those thoughts that come by walking have any value.” And JK Rowling finds inspiration in walking too: “Nothing like a nighttime stroll to give you ideas.”
There are many writers throughout history who were also walkers. So many, in fact, that author Merlin Coverley wrote a whole book about it, The Art of Wandering, and Duncan Minshull has edited two anthologies on the subject. And there were many walkers who wrote: Cheryl Strayed and Colin Fletcher, to name but two.
Creative boost
Research backs up the idea of walking to improve creativity. A 2014 study by behavioral scientists Marily Oppezzo and Daniel L. Schwartz at Stanford University stated that, “Walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and it is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing creativity and increasing physical activity.”
The study, entitled Give Your Ideas Some Legs: The Positive Effect of Walking on Creative Thinking, goes on to say that, “Walking improves the generation of novel yet appropriate ideas, and the effect even extends to when people sit down to do their creative work shortly after.”
Interestingly, especially in these times when many of us can’t get out to take a long walk in nature, the results were the same for those who walked indoors. And if it’s difficult for you in times of lockdown to venture beyond your garden, take some inspiration from Captain Tom Moore who, for his 100th birthday, walked 100 laps of his garden and raised more than $35 million to help the UK’s health service response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He now has a deal with penguin to publish his autobiography.
For a quick and illuminating summary of the Stanford paper, I’d highly recommend watching Oppezzo’s TED Talk. Her energy on the stage alone makes you want to get out there and get some ideas flowing.
One step at a time
There are many parallels between walking and writing. Just as walking is about putting one foot after another, writing is – in its very basic form – one word after another. Remembering that as you go for a walk, especially a long walk, can help you get over any blocks you might be experiencing in your writing.
Five, ten or fifteen miles can seem like a long way when you first set off, just as the prospect of writing an 80,000 word novel (perhaps more the equivalent of the entire Pacific Northwest Trail) can be daunting. But one foot/one word in front of the other eventually gets you there. And the sense of achievement at the end can be exhilarating. Even more so, I’d argue, when completing a novel.
So walking can help you break through that writer’s block, boost your creativity and even improve your health in so many ways: increase your cardio fitness, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, strengthen bones, improve balance, reduce body fat and increase muscle strength.
“The sum of the whole is this,” said Dickens, “walk and be happy; walk and be healthy. The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose.”
Does walking help you in your writing? Or do you enjoy the distraction it gives from sitting at a desk? For those you who cannot walk or prefer not to, what are your strategies for relieving the “wear and tear” of writing?
Jim Dempsey (he/him) is a book editor who specializes in detailed analysis and editing of novel manuscripts through his company, Novel Gazing. He has worked as an editor for more than 20 years. He has a master’s degree in creative writing and is a professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading and is a trustee of the Arkbound Foundation. Jim is fascinated by the similarities between fiction and psychotherapy, since both investigate the human condition, the things that make us uniquely human. He explores this at The Fiction Therapist website. If you have a specific concern with your novel, send an email to jim [at] thefictiontherapist.com, or visit the website to ask for a free sample edit. You can follow Jim on Instagram @the_fiction_therapist.
Napping! I have trouble walking very far so napping is my alternative for refilling the creative well!
Naps are the best. My writing career began with naps–an hour in the afternoon with my children and cats bought me 2-3 hours at night.
Yes, naps is a whole other post! Wonderful. I’m a great believer in naps too.
Thanks both of you.
I don’t think it’s the actual walking that does it. Or should I say it’s not only walking that does it. If only walking cleared my mind or washed away the piles of rubble blocking my writing, you would find me over there, under the section with the broken red brick. Yes, the one I hit with my hard head some time back.
No, it’s the movement and getting away from the environment bearing down on you I can no longer walk or hike like I used to. Oh, but I can drive! Grab a recalcient character by the upper arm, drag them out to the car and go for a drive. No place for them to run and hide. Rest areas exist as safe places to pull over and take notes.
It ain’t evironmentally friendly, but it works for me.
Yes, I suppose it’s just another perspective, whatever takes you out of the tunnel vision you can get while sitting staring only at a computer. I’d be a little worried I’d drift off into that other world and off the road, but you’re clearly a way better driver than I am.
Great that you’ve found a useful alternate to your walks and hikes. Good luck with it.
Love the quotes from Dickens. I’ve been a walker my whole life, even before I began writing–it’s a wonderful way to experience the world, clear the head, muse, pray–and I continue to walk, my dog, my faithful companion.
Other creative pursuits–cooking, playing piano, gardening, etc.–also help with my writing.
I can’t believe I wrote a whole post aboput walking and didn’t mention dogs. Thank you for giving them the mention they so rightly deserve, Vijaya.
I often write on my phone (using Scrivener and a swiping keyboard), and I can do this while walking. I’ll often pace back and forth through my house while working on a story. Or I’ll walk outside. I find that the ideas flow more easily and I’m much less likely to get tired and need a nap.
Walking, absolutely, walking. When the gears in my head become stuck, walking provides the extra power I need to get them turning again. Whether I’m composing a poem or working out a story problem, walking is the best, no matter how I accomplish it (the bike path near my door is best). I also like to bike for exercise, but I have to beware. If I become too distracted while biking I can end up in a ditch. Certain poses in yoga can also lend themselves to writing.
To me, walking is food for the soul, the lungs, and pretty much everything else. When I hit a plot snarl or a brick wall, walking is my go-to cure. It’s also the best way to see the world. Wonderful uplifting post!
A walk is a great way to untangle a plot problem, isn’t it! Somehow the extraneous falls away and the heart of the problem is more easily seen.
Back when I was hiking in the High Sierra, my mantra was “Don’t lose altitude.” Those days are over, but I’ve found that a useful translation or conversion, as applied to writing, is “Don’t lose momentum.”
Writing ideas (sometimes even full sentences) often jump into my mind while walking, and biking too. And I’ll step in the line advocating for naps as well.
Runner here. Slow, but determined. I find listening to podcasts, audiobooks, or lectures when out for a run is one of the best ways to stimulate my brain and get new ideas. I can achieve some of the same on the treadmill while watching movies, but the outdoor run is best.
I do my best writing while I walk. I used to think my neighbors would question my sanity because I talk to myself while I walk, working out the words. Of course now everyone is talking on their phones as theY walk. So I’m not strange anymore. In bad weather, I actually clean if I can’t walk outside. And I often take A break to workout problems by napping. If I fall asleep thinking about it, I often have the solution when I wake.