We’re on Day 1 of a heatwave. I popped outside a moment ago to read the thermometer hanging in shade on my deck. It’s 43.3C (a menopausal whisker under 120F), so no actual outdoors for me today. Perfect for writing indoors, though, because so many daily tasks have to wait till evening. I’ve put up a photo of my daughter and her family in Toronto on New Year’s Day, in -14C and snow. Today’s writing achievement: 25 minutes of editing and revising yesterday’s Write Continuously output.
I bundled up and wrote on my patio, watching squirrels chase up and down the trees, bury acorns, and raid the bird feeder. A tiny wren danced around chirupping. I spotted another squirrel lying flat on a swaying branch with its tail flat over its back and head. It stayed there like a look-out for the whole time as I wrote.
One of my many favourite places is Island Bay, here in Wellington, NZ. The Maori / Te Reo name is, Tapu Te Ranga, which translates to Sacred Rising. We have pods of dolphins and a while ago a Southern Right Whale came to hang out in front of the island. The beach and the sidewalk were crammed with people, mesmerised. I got onto pondering how other sentient beings view us, and hope they see us as predominantly good humans...
It's cold and wet in Washington State (U.S.A.) today, so I imagined myself on a warm day at an Oregon beach associated with my local history research. I sat on the shore observing natural sights and sounds--the breeze, the smells, the waves, the deposits of wood, kelp, and seashells. A delightful sensory experience that led to creative thinking about my current writing project! Overall, this writing practice made me appreciate how "stepping outside" of my usual writing space can be both relaxing and productive.
I streamed a recording of a pine forest with birds since it’s dark and breezy tonight in Arkansas. (Now that I think about it, I could have looked for a live cam, but I suppose it might not have had sound.) I spent time looking things up, but it went fine. I think I’m breathing more with the outside sounds. I have topics for 4-8 paragraphs and now I need to look for the evidence to go with them. Thanks for doing this!
One of my favourite recordings for background music as I write is Tony O’Connor’s ‘Kakadu’. Atmospheric music and birdsong from the Northern Territory (Australia).
It's a bit too cold with a threat of rain/snow flurries today so I wrote (by hand) outside my home and work office at a local coffee shop for two pomodoro cycles while I nursed a cup of decaf coffee.
Working in a cafe is nearly always a good place for me to write. Cafe's offer me the co-presence of people working, connecting, and the steady activity of folks working. Their collective energy seems to scoop me up and take me along for a ride - a bit like a wave picks up a surfer. I got two Pomodoro's worth of work in where I drew two new figure options.
Time alongside others was a good external motivator and is exactly what I need for my current project because I'm at a stage I call "pruning." Just as the human brain prunes neural pathways to improve efficiencies and remove unnecessary structures, I'm scrutinizing what to keep, what to drop, what to reframe, and deciding what additional reading and note taking I need to do. It's a grueling phase so borrowing other's energy and motivation served me well.
I have written (or, at least, I've worked on my paper) in a new place: my recently reorganised (shared) home office. It is snowy outside and almost as cold in this office.
We’re on Day 1 of a heatwave. I popped outside a moment ago to read the thermometer hanging in shade on my deck. It’s 43.3C (a menopausal whisker under 120F), so no actual outdoors for me today. Perfect for writing indoors, though, because so many daily tasks have to wait till evening. I’ve put up a photo of my daughter and her family in Toronto on New Year’s Day, in -14C and snow. Today’s writing achievement: 25 minutes of editing and revising yesterday’s Write Continuously output.
I bundled up and wrote on my patio, watching squirrels chase up and down the trees, bury acorns, and raid the bird feeder. A tiny wren danced around chirupping. I spotted another squirrel lying flat on a swaying branch with its tail flat over its back and head. It stayed there like a look-out for the whole time as I wrote.
One of my many favourite places is Island Bay, here in Wellington, NZ. The Maori / Te Reo name is, Tapu Te Ranga, which translates to Sacred Rising. We have pods of dolphins and a while ago a Southern Right Whale came to hang out in front of the island. The beach and the sidewalk were crammed with people, mesmerised. I got onto pondering how other sentient beings view us, and hope they see us as predominantly good humans...
It's cold and wet in Washington State (U.S.A.) today, so I imagined myself on a warm day at an Oregon beach associated with my local history research. I sat on the shore observing natural sights and sounds--the breeze, the smells, the waves, the deposits of wood, kelp, and seashells. A delightful sensory experience that led to creative thinking about my current writing project! Overall, this writing practice made me appreciate how "stepping outside" of my usual writing space can be both relaxing and productive.
That sounds lovely, Mary! I wrote outside at the beach today too — but in real life, as it’s summer here in the Southern Hemisphere.
I streamed a recording of a pine forest with birds since it’s dark and breezy tonight in Arkansas. (Now that I think about it, I could have looked for a live cam, but I suppose it might not have had sound.) I spent time looking things up, but it went fine. I think I’m breathing more with the outside sounds. I have topics for 4-8 paragraphs and now I need to look for the evidence to go with them. Thanks for doing this!
Beautiful! I often write while playing a recording of New Zealand birdsong — unless I can experience the real thing, of course!
One of my favourite recordings for background music as I write is Tony O’Connor’s ‘Kakadu’. Atmospheric music and birdsong from the Northern Territory (Australia).
It is rather cold in Minnesota, so I worked in the library. Submitted a conference proposal. Yipee.
Well done! Libraries always help me feel very studious…
It's a bit too cold with a threat of rain/snow flurries today so I wrote (by hand) outside my home and work office at a local coffee shop for two pomodoro cycles while I nursed a cup of decaf coffee.
How did it go? Writing in a cafe nearly always helps me see things from a new angle.
Working in a cafe is nearly always a good place for me to write. Cafe's offer me the co-presence of people working, connecting, and the steady activity of folks working. Their collective energy seems to scoop me up and take me along for a ride - a bit like a wave picks up a surfer. I got two Pomodoro's worth of work in where I drew two new figure options.
Time alongside others was a good external motivator and is exactly what I need for my current project because I'm at a stage I call "pruning." Just as the human brain prunes neural pathways to improve efficiencies and remove unnecessary structures, I'm scrutinizing what to keep, what to drop, what to reframe, and deciding what additional reading and note taking I need to do. It's a grueling phase so borrowing other's energy and motivation served me well.
Alexis
I have written (or, at least, I've worked on my paper) in a new place: my recently reorganised (shared) home office. It is snowy outside and almost as cold in this office.
Is it still the green room that I’ve seen many times on Zoom? Looks like a very cozy writing space.
No, that's when I'm sitting at the dining table. :)