Writing In Different Locations

When talking to teachers and the subject turns to writing beyond the classroom, I urge them to encourage students to write beyond those four walls. -Write around the school. Write at home. Encourage young writers to consider their notebooks as travelling companions and write in wild, unfamiliar spaces. Challenge the notion that writing is something we just do at school. For many  years, I have encouraged young writers to try writing in different locations as a way of extending their personal view of writing. Hopefully it broadens not just their options but also their perspectives. 

Some writers are fortunate enough to have a space in which they can freely write. Some writers need a special place beofre they can write. They can only write in that space, that particular location. Some writers need absolute quiet while others embrace noise.  
I once read American author, Thomas Wolfe wrote standing up in his kitchen. Wolf, a rather tall man chose to write on the top of his refrigerator apparently. It seems the wrong place to write is a place in which you don’t feel comfortable.
I am lucky. I have many special places to write. I can plonk myself down and pretty much write anywhere I find myself. The beach, the park, the airport, or leaning against a tree are places I have found myself at one with words. I frequently write in cafes where I can be among people who may inform my words.

As long as I have my notebook (which almost always is within arm’s reach) and my trusty pens (Uniball Black Impact Gel, Lamy fountain pen ) I am set to go. I do not need to compose at a dedicated altar of creativity, surrounded by totems. Mind you as I sit here in my study, an air of sanctuary pervades it.  This space does display ample evidence of artefacts, but it is not my singular creative space. Most week will find me writing in cafes and schools as well as my more familiar study.
When young writers begin to view themselves as writers, when their sense of writer agency increases they begin to live what is commonly referred as a writerly life. They begin to think about their writing both in and out of school,

When a writer feels comfortable the words are more likely to flow. Let’s face it, if you really want to write, you will find a space that suits you.  

 

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