X: Xhilerating Xercise Xceeds Xpectations, or, writing while walking, or, xs are stupid don’t look at me

A nice, slow walk on a perfect day is just the best. Something about it always gets my creative juices flowing. I can’t even guess at all the hours I’ve spent muttering to myself on the beautiful forested trails in my hometown, brainstorming and even fully outlining scenes.  It’s a bit embarrassing, but sometimes I’ll even compose dialogues back and forth between characters, sounding out the way it should flow with my own voice. And the beat of my feet keeps me going.

It’s hard to say what it is about walking that makes me start writing entire books in my head. If I’m trying to actually burn calories and exercise, the creativity fades. I’m focused on what I’m doing, and keeping together thoughts is tough. But when I’m taking my time, strolling, enjoying the day… it’s like words just come.

When I need inspiration or am suffering a little writer’s block or am trying to put together my scattered ideas for something, it’s always a walk that gets me going. Places like this are my lifeblood. Looking at this photograph makes me want to put on my sneakers and breathe in some fresh, clean air. Being by myself in places like this turns me into the most talented person alive. The ideas come faster than I can catch them and everything just slides into place.

Of course, a lot of it fades once I sit back down. But I can carry little pieces of it with me, and I do. There are so many great scenes in my debut novel that were sketched out and pieced together while I walked a beautiful forest trail. There’s a magic out there, plain and simple.

As a footnote, gosh I hate the letter X. What a useless thing it is! It’s essentially useless in English unless it’s attached to an E! This language is maddening sometimes. It’s a good thing that we’ve stolen all the nice words from every other language out there. You need something to recommend you, English!