As I sit out on my deck watching the fog roll over the fields of my farm, I realize what a wonderful opportunity I’ve had to be able to write in such beauty. It seems wherever I am, I’m usually drawn outdoors to a porch or a patio, especially in the spring, summer and fall, when flowers are blooming, the hummingbirds are sipping their nectar and the cicada’s are singing their songs. My writing seems to flow easily when I’m outside the confines of four walls.
Apparently I’m in good company, as Anne McCaffrey once told an interviewer, “I think writers need windows on a view to remind them that a whole world is out there, not the minutiae with which they might be dealing on a close scale.”
One writer friend, who shall remain nameless, has 5 children under the age of twelve. He says the only place he can truly settle in to write in peace is comfortably seated on a sheepskin rug he carries into their large, oversized bathroom where he can lock himself inside for some quiet writing time. I thought this strange to the extreme until I discovered that Agatha Christie did much of her writing while soaking in her oversized Victorian tub.
On that note, there have been several other famous writers who have found sitting behind a desk in their library untenable. Gertrude Stein used to sit in the driver’s seat of her Model T Ford while parked on the streets of Paris.
It’s said that Sir Walter Scott wrote many of his poems on horseback, and several famous writers wrote from their bed.
Agatha Christie plotted out her first mystery while walking the moors near the Haytor Rocks in Dartmoor, and Ernest Hemingway is said to have written while standing at a writer’s podium.
I know that writers write wherever they find themselves, at all times of the day and night, but what I wouldn’t give to have walked the moors with Ms. Christie, eavesdropping as she plotted The Mysterious Affair at Styles, or to have stood gazing out over the rooftops of Paris with Earnest Hemingway and listening as he admonished himself with these famous words:
“Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”
So, as I sit on my deck getting ready to write and watching the ghostly tendrils of fog roll in, I close my eyes and imagine the heavy air carries the distinctive aroma of Hemingway’s pipe and I quietly put my fingers to the keys and say to myself, “Do not worry. You have always written before…”
I’m so glad you are back to writing, Alison. I read the first two Alex Wolfe Mysteries a long time back and then followed them up with The Door at The Top of The Stairs. I loved all three of these books and then was disappointed when I could find nothing further from you. I am glad to see the new books coming out and have totally enjoyed all three new ones. I am so disappointed when I get to the end because your characters and stories are so full of life, I could just keep on reading their adventures.
Hi Lorelei, Thanks for the comment. I’m currently working on Credo’s Bones, but have been sidelined by some family health issues. I’m back at it now, and hope to have something out soon.
Yay! I just finished book 3 last night and I’m so sad and
disturbed by the ending. I’m glad that you are carrying on.
I’m sorry the ending disturbed you! I hope it’s because you’re looking forward to more and not because of anything that happened in the book. Yes, I’m carrying on, and if you’d like to know when my next books are coming out, please sign up for my Newsletter here.
Also, remember reviews on Amazon and word of mouth help other readers find my books. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Alison
Beautifully written, Alison. Walking the Moors is always a good idea. Well, except if there is a monstrouse Hound about, Then, you just might want to remain in the manor.
Thank you, Larry. I’m sorry it took so long to reply to your kind words. I’ve been traveling across country and haven’t had much access to the internet. I’m back online now (not always a blessing) and am back to writing.
Nice one, Alison.
Thanks 🙂
Lovely, Alison. Had the desert rain continued here this morning, I would have sat under the porch and written.
Thanks Lynn. I hope your writing is going well? I’m on the fourth in my murder mystery series, so I wish Agatha could whisper in my ear a little 🙂
Nice, gentle post, Alison.
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Thanks, Harv. There’s a gentle rain falling now. The peace and quiet calls to me to bring my computer out onto the front porch and write. Life is good, isn’t it?