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Good evening, Ereki!

We have another discussion topic for this week, and I am personally quite interested in your answers to this one. Here’s what Daeus wrote for us:

 

Why to write outside

I’m writing this post outside. The sun is shining, and some trees provide shade. The stream is full and bubbling and a wind stirs the leaves.

Have I convinced you yet? Write outside!

But to elaborate more…

The outdoors are (normally) peaceful.

This might not be the case depending on where you live, but for most of us, at least on some days the outdoors are a restful place. This makes writing more enjoyable, and also helps stave off the awful anxiety bug. Holing yourself up in a dark, square room for hours, weeks, and years is a recipe for turning into a zombie. Don’t turn into a zombie.

 

The outdoors provide inspiration and sensory input.

I can’t say for myself that writing outside leads to more brilliant prose, but if I stop and take a quick walk, it can spark some wonder cells in my brain. More importantly, writing outside helps me write about the outdoors.

As we all know, all good books happen outdoors, right? At least most of them do. Either that or in a cathedral or bunker. When I’m wondering how to describe clouds, wind, the feel of the air after a rain, etc — guess what? It’s right there! This lets my imagination plow through writing descriptions faster and more accurately.

It’s good for your health!

#1, you’ll be happier = less strain on your poor organs and what not.

#2, sunlight. You need it. Vitamin D, right? Plus, exposure to sunlight helps you get to sleep faster (so you can wake up earlier to write more! — outside of course)

#3, fresh air. I think that’s important… At the very least, it’s amazing.

“But Daeus, do I always have to write outside?”

Of course not. If others are outside being too distracting, if it’s so cold your fingers are going numb, if it’s so hot even shade, light clothing, and hydration doesn’t make it bearable — you can write inside.

But make an effort! Once you dedicate to writing outside, you won’t go back.

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Short, sweet, and to the point, Daeus encourages us this week to write in the great outdoors! It’s an interesting proposition that I’ve never really considered because so much of my writing takes place in the evening/night. However, I have recently found it very inspirational to be outdoors when I write poetry, and whenever I stop by at a park after work, I generally take my poetry journal with me and try to jot one down if the inspiration comes (either that, or I read a book).

What about you guys? Do you write in the outdoors? What do you think about trying it?

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