Kinetic Writer

As one of my favorite authors to read, Neil Gaiman is also the type of writer whose life seems filled with the types of things I’d love to do on a regular basis:

1. Read and research.
2. Travel (to learn, to study, to experience).
3. Travel (to speak, to share, to connect).
4. Write, Write, Write.
5. Spend time away from civilization with family and pets.

I would probably not choose to be as popular as he is, though, because I enjoy my privacy…. and an adoring fan base can turn a little crazy at any moment. Though he handles his fandom with graciousness and respect, so I hope that he is always given that in return.

Neil recently posted some photos on his blog as he walked around his house and property, which is a (presumably) large and wildlife-filled area somewhere outside of Middeapolis. I started out as a zoology major in college, and a large part of me loves the idea of being a naturalist. If I had the means, I would most definitely choose to have some sort of gazebo or out-building set aside just for writing.

I seem to write with more focus when I am out of my office and away from the Internet… even if that’s just in my peaceful living room or in a shady spot on my lawn. Henry David Thoreau was on to something with his exploration of the serenity amidst simplicity. And he died before the telephone was invented, so imagine how simple his life must have been compared to the average always-connected lifestyle of today.

Living in Utah, very close to an array of national parks and deserted areas, you’d think that I would appease my inner naturalist more often and go for hikes and do other nature-y things. But I haven’t. What’s stopping me? Nothing, really… just my own laziness. I prefer to write on a computer, because it’s faster, but the idea of typing on a laptop keyboard in the semi-wilderness is weird to me.

I wonder what might happen if I were to sit among trees and flowing water and rustling trees and focus on writing by hand. No whirring of electronics–just the scratching of a pen on paper and slightly uncooperative wind flipping through notebook pages. Maybe my writing would convey a more natural perspective. Maybe it would be worth re-hardening the writing callous on my middle finger and exchanging carpal tunnel syndrome for a plain old tired wrist.

I’ll let you know when I try it.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 3:06 pm and is filed under web & internet, writing by hand. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.