Write when you're Eating Out

When was the last time you went out to eat--alone--and on purpose?

Photo by Ed Yourdon, courtesy of Flickr

I haven't eaten out alone for years, and it seems to me that I'm missing out on more than a luscious bowl of soup and some never-to-be-forgotten bread sticks.

I'm missing out on writing time. Yes, writing time.

When was the last time you went to the mall alone? Or the park? Or the mountains?

When was the last time you gathered in some great dialogue, took a quiet break and just wrote what came to you for three hours? When was the last time you had some writing time without distraction?

If you write in the same place every day like I do there are going to be days (like today) when you feel as if you need a bit of fresh air. Something happens you--especially in winter--when you are cooped up for long periods of time, listening to the heat coming through the vents and your children screaming in the background.

Photo by: Photogirl7.1, courtesy of Flickr

As writers, we may just get a bit--dull.

So today, I am asking myself and I am asking YOU to get out there and have some fun writing! Treat yourself to lunch! Sit down in a mall and watch the people walk by. Record some key conversations that you never want to forget. Go to the park. Watch the children, the adults, the ducks. Sit in stillness if no one else is around. Record your impressions. Take a hike.

Literally.