I’m a daydreamer who can often be found tuning out staff meetings or staring blankly at the floor. One of my college friends once remarked that I was probably interested in creative writing because I’m so spacey. I took it as a compliment. Also, she was totally right: I plot my stories when I daydream, giving the characters free rein.
I go to my daydreaming place when I’m bored, and I’ve become pretty adept at flipping that switch. But more and more, I find I’m losing the time to daydream. The lures of the Internet (Twitter, Facebook, blogs…) can be too powerful to resist when I feel boredom creeping up. I’ve seen other writers lament on Twitter that they should be writing, so I know I’m not alone in this.
My solution lately has been to take walks during lunchtime. I almost always go alone. I work near a park with cross-crossing sidewalks, an oboe player who sits beneath a sculpture of an angel, a duck pond, and an old carousel. On a nice day, it’s a vibrant area in which to grab snippets of conversation or to simply let my mind meander for a while. I’ve used these solitary walks to work through plot snags in my current manuscript and to plot my next WIP. Sometimes I have to drag myself out the door, but it’s always worth it. I return to my desk feeling like my thoughts have settled.
It seems like a funny and impractical thing to schedule time to daydream, but my writing has benefitted from those breaks from the real world. Do you sometimes struggle to find the time to daydream? When do you fit in play time for your mind?
Natalie, I'm so glad I'm not alone in the daydreaming during important events! I can tune out so easily-and depending on who's speaking it can actually come in handy ;-)
ReplyDeleteToday I took the kids to a quaint farm and even though it's less than 30 mins from our house, it feels like a real escape. And inevitably, whenever I see that charming red barn and the Niagara escarpment in the distance...well my mind begins to wander, LOL.
That's great you found an outlet during your lunch time walks...
Oh, that farm sounds like a lovely place to let your mind wander! A red barn, huh? How quaint!
DeleteHi Natalie. Great choice of post. I take daydreaming as an essential part of the job, so have never felt guilty for it. Although I'm not big on quotes, I have two on my desk:
ReplyDelete"All writers spend great drifts of time staring into space - a habit not tolerated easily by those who aren't writers..." ~ Rose Tremain.
"My wife understands that sitting in my office and staring into space is actually work." ~ Jasper Fforde.
I'm terrible for drifting off while watching TV or films if there is something that triggers a thought. I also do it a lot while listening to music. Aside from that, I do all my best thinking in bed at night and always have done.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who's missed a film or two! And music is great for daydreaming. A friend and I went to the symphony last month, and I spent the entire time plotting my WIP. (Shh...don't tell!)
DeleteAlso, I love those quotes. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteGreat post! I've been a daydreamer all of my life. Although I remember clearly how it got me in trouble in first grade when I had no idea what the teacher had asked me. *G*
ReplyDeleteI used to have more time to daydream about story ideas, but these days free time is limited. I find that my mind wanders mainly when I'm doing the mundane such as laundry, cooking, cleaning or riding in the car. Then I'm anxious to jot down the ideas before I forget. Oh, the absolute best place to daydream about story ideas is the shower. Get some of my best ideas there. Don't know why. LOL.
I have to laugh, Jennifer, because I also got into trouble in first grade for constant daydreaming. But the funniest bit is that in my eldest daughter's most recent parent teacher interview her teacher expressed the same concerns. She probably wasn't amused when I said "So?"
DeleteLOL. I love it, Romy!
DeleteYou've pointed out one of the hazards of daydreaming, Jennifer: being caught! Why is it that "I was plotting the Great American Romance Novel" isn't a valid excuse?
ReplyDeleteMundane tasks are great for it, too. And I think many a great plot has been conceived in the shower. So, when someone asks you where you got X idea, do you say, "Well, I was folding socks at the time..." ;-)