Want to Write More? Walk More!
Today I took a long walk in one of my favorite local places, Breakheart Reservation in Saugus. It has two small lakes, and miles of trails - paved loops that are easy for fast walks, and lots of wooded trails along the river and over the ridge, and around the lakes. I still haven’t explored them all.
I realized I hadn’t been at all this year, partly due to the weather (careening between 90s and unbearably humid and 65 and raining) and partly due to increased workload. But it’s THE MIDDLE OF FREAKING AUGUST, y’all! I mean, we’re not quite in danger of a snowstorm yet, but… summer is wrapping up.
Walking is an excellent activity for writers, anyway. Just sitting around writing isn’t good for our brain cells. Numerous studies have shown it improves memory and focus. It helps us make new connections between brain cells - so important for coming up with ideas, and solving plot problems. Movement helps pump blood through your cells (including your brain cells) stimulating all kinds of creativity.
It’s especially good if you can walk in nature, Fresh air, and the presence of trees, water, and plants has been shown to improve general wellbeing as well as cognitive abilities. According to the abstract from this study, “Nature, which is filled with intriguing stimuli, modestly grabs attention in a bottom-up fashion, allowing top-down directed-attention abilities a chance to replenish.”
Sometimes I bring a notebook along on my walks, planning to stop and write if I find a likely place. Sometimes I dictate notes into my phone (which sounds better than “I talk to myself as I walk”). Sometimes I just allow my mind to wander, whether I’m walking or sitting and enjoying the view.
As much as I love to revisit places, I also enjoy exploring new ones. This hones attention in a different way: I have to pay attention as I walk, so I don’t get lost.
I’m fortunate that even in a pretty urban/suburban area, I have many places where nature is abundant. Rivers, ponds, bike paths, woods, lakes… all within walking distance. But even if you don’t have bountiful natural areas nearby you can enjoy parks and gardens, or even people’s creativity with their yards.
If you can, though, one of the best things to do is forest bathing (from the Japanese shinrin-yoku). No water necessary, this is an experience of immersing yourself in the woods, not necessarily on a hike with a perceived destination. Part of the tonic is the chance to tune your brain into a different rhythm, becoming more present with where you are in the moment. Which, paradoxically, enables your brain to make those awesome new connections that spark new ideas.
Being around water, too, has creative benefits. How many of us have had that “Eureka!” moment in the shower? We don’t necessarily have to be immersed in it; just contemplating it, or hearing the sound of waves against the shore,or even being around a fountain, can be relaxing, helping our brains literally get into the flow.
So, in these waning days of summer, if you want to boost your creativity, get out and walk, preferably in nature. Being in the forest or around water can help you regulate stress and generate creativity. We might tell ourselves we’re “too busy” to go out for regular walks, but if we think about it in terms of being important to our physical and mental wellbeing - and a stimulant to our creativity - that might give us the motivation to get out and enjoy it.
Where do you like to walk? What places are creatively inspiring to you? Let us know in the comments!
