Write2Ignite

We’ve had some unusual weather here in Southern California. We’ve had days of rain. And not just rain, continuous rain. That was what was the most unusual. I had some writing deadlines, but being cooped up at home wasn’t helping me whatsoever. I needed a different environment where I had no distractions and where I could seriously concentrate on what I needed to get done. So when the sun finally poked through the clouds for a bit, I took the opportunity to make a change. I changed my scenery. Here are a few reasons why sometimes it’s good to make a change.

Change Helps Keep You Focused

Now some of you may have a home office or a special nook in your home where you can sit and write for hours. That doesn’t always work for me. I don’t have a regular writing spot. I transfer between my armchair in the corner of the living room or the dining room table where I can spread out all my reference materials. This situation works for the moment, but sometimes I just need a place where I don’t have the TV nearby or the phone ringing or family coming in and asking questions that could wait if I wasn’t home.

The library for me is a great place to keep me focused. That’s where I went on that partially sunny day. It is usually quiet (except for a few loud patrons or staff every once in a while), I can sit by a big window and look out when I need to let my mind wander about my story or subject, and I am forced to work.

Change Gives You a Different Perspective

Working in a different setting, at least for me, unleashes my imagination. I tend to think a bit more freely, and the ideas often come more quickly. Sometimes when we are set in our routines, we experience the same old same old. Everything becomes predictable and often unexciting. By changing your scene every so often, you can reignite your mind and look at things from a different angle from what you thought before.

The view from my library window is the back parking lot. But I don’t look at the cars. I look at the hills that rise above the lot that are full of trees. I look above the ridge of the hills at the huge, puffy clouds that are playing hide and seek with the sun, and I get inspired. Change can be a good thing.

Change Can Refresh the Mind

Like the world around me seems washed and refreshed from all the rain we’ve been having, change can refresh the mind. It can move you from being stagnant, to being active; from being dead in the water in your writing, to being unable to type as fast as the thoughts that are flowing from your mind. Change can give you that extra spark you need to re-engage your story or your words so when it’s time to shut down your computer for the day, you know you’ve made a lot of progress.

So whenever you feel shut in and the writing doesn’t seem likes it’s going anywhere, consider a change of scenery. It doesn’t have to be the library. It could be sitting at the park or taking a drive to the beach. Just give yourself enough change to keep your ideas moving!

Where do you go for a Change of Scenery?

Unsplash photo credits in order: Toa Heftiba, Quino Al, Simon Follin, and Thom Milkovic.

Catherine L. Osornio has written inspirational articles for a women’s ministry newsletter, over 200 leveled reader stories for a school’s reading program, fiction and nonfiction articles for Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. magazines, The Declaration of Independence from A to Z, Thunder Comes a Rumblin’, Mosquitoes Infect, plus various work-for-hire projects. A former elementary school librarian, Catherine is passionate about sharing the love of reading. She enjoys cartooning, illustration, and reading kids’ books. Email her at CLOsornio@verizon.net or visit her at www.catherineosornio.com.