novel

Writing and walking are a seemingly odd mix of topics for an article, but they go well together. Particularly if you write during breaks in your walk.

Writing Journals

Whether you are writing articles or the great American novel, you will inevitably suffer from writer’s block. A good way to defeat the block is to go for a walk or hike in a park or open local area. Walking gives you a chance to think through things, let your mind wander and clear out the riff raff.

As you walk, your subconscious will be working and kicking out ideas to get you going again. You don’t want to lose these ideas, which can be a problem when you are a few miles from home and your computer. Frankly, nothing is more frustrating than getting an idea and then losing the thread while you hustle home.

I primarily write information articles for web sites. Unlike a novel, the pure volume of articles is problematic. Coming up with hundreds of unique topics can be maddening, particularly if the subject matter is rather dry. Just imagine trying to write 100 articles on tax issues! One tends to end up staring at the wall for hours on end.

I come up with my best ideas while walking on the beach here in San Diego, California. While the beach and tax articles might seem an odd mix, the ghosts of IRS agents apparently congregate on the beach and ideas become plentiful. I’ve tried two methods of keeping track of ideas while walking.

I first tried taking a dictation machine with me, but it didn’t really work out. You would be surprised how loud the ocean is on the recording. I also found it difficult to pick up the thread again when I sat down to listen to my ramblings. Fortunately, writing journals turned out to be a better option.

An author friend of mine that publishes novels suggested taking a writing journal with me on the beach strolls. He apparently had great success working out plot twists for his novels while hiking around Palomar Mountain, a good hiking spot to the east of San Diego. I gave it a try and the rest is history.

I prefer writing journals to dictating for a few reasons. Initially, it is easier to just sit down wherever you are and write out an idea and story lines. I also find it easier to pick up the thread when I plop down in front of my computer to actually start writing.

Writer’s block is a problem for every writer, regardless of the type of writing. If you’re having problems with it, you might try going on a walk and taking a writing journal with you.

Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com - makers of diary and writing journals with cases for the outdoors. Blank journals make great gifts for writers. Visit NomadJournalTrips.com for more articles on journal writing.

Share This

Of the recent request for articles by our webmaster, I thought the request for articles on love would not be for me. His request was: Love - Articles probing the infinite complexities of this unique human emotion belong here.

Something happened to me today that changed my mind. After I display my ignorance about love (and if you will forgive this hack writer), I’ll get right to it.

I had never written about love in the context of “the infinite complexities of this unique human emotion.” There are sex scenes in my novels tamed down by the moral code my mother left to me.

In Revenge on the Mogollon Rim there is pathos in the death of the bride of the protagonist although he was always separated from her. In other scenes, human complexities are visible if you think about it. One of the complexities is a pregnant wife. Her irate husband drives young Peter Ott to ride out of thar.

But my novels are not about love.

Well, I guess I lied about that. There is an exception.

Bull is a western saga where Bull is captivated by a certain young lady he has put on a pedestal. Putting her on a pedestal thwarts his love attempts. He is always two slow to catch her on the bounce. She has married three times before Bull lands her near the end of the novel. She has twin boys but they are not Bull’s.

Love is not a factor in my detective novels except for the love that Richard Lacey has for his sweetheart who is his secretary in Bone China whom he is married to in In No Way Guilty There is infatuation in these novels as Lacey works with classy clients and associates and resists temptation. He is always true to his wife.

I learned in college that love comes in three flavors. Quarks come in six flavors. (Quarks were added here to keep the interest of my scientific readers.) There is physical love not to be completely confused with the sinful lust you see on television. It might be similar acts with dignity.

Next is spiritual love like we have for God (and He for us according to those who know). Spiritual love does not have to be between God and Women. (I used “women” here because I don’t want to put God into the Gay Movement.) Spiritual love is often attained by librarians (for children) and veterinarians (for animals). It should be part of “love and marriage.” The thought here might be that we become the parents of God’s children.

The last type of love is plutonic love. Hi, Buddy! Let’s go down to the ol’ swimmin’ hole and cool off. You know; friendship. That is important in marriage too.

I recently uploaded an article called Lessons for Living: Marriage which is better on that subject than what I’m writing here.

Now there is maternal love, fraternal love, brotherly love, sisterly love, and animal love, but the three I mentioned, spiritual, physical, and plutonic love where the ones we studied at the University of Utah when I got back from Korea where love was generally missing.

Having bored most everybody away, I will now tell you who stayed what happened today.

I was a church leader over the years. Despite the fact that I haven’t served in an administrative capacity for years, I still get calls from church members living in various parts of the country. Sometimes they ask me for advice.

We have a friend living in the Southwest whom we knew in New Jersey. Let’s call her Annie. She called me last year notifying us of the death of her husband. She has moved since and found new associates. Annie is 86 years old and she is in love.

She told me today that she has been associating with a man of 69 years. There relationship is not a sexual one, it’s not strictly plutonic. Annie is just as in love with this man as she was with her husband. She is giddy, excited, happy, flustered, confused, whimsical, whirling, wild, and woozy. (I got the last four words by inserting “giddy” in the search box at http://thesaurus.reference.com.)

Annie wanted to know if she was wrong in associating with this man who loves her, cooks for her, and who bought her a new walker. I told her it was absolutely wonderful that she could be in love again and that she could marry the man if she loved him. That made her very happy. I felt like God.

That must be one of the complexities of love that our webmaster was talking about. She felt guilty for loving a man other than her late husband. Love can come on fast and threaten stable relationships. Infatuation quickly turns to love. It’s the nature of the beast. So we must be careful what we do when we feel these urges of infatuation that lead to love. But if we are free and easy, we shouldn’t worry about past relationships. We should not feel guilty for being in love. We should enjoy the springtime. And age doesn’t count.

Maybe I will write a love story someday. Well, I doubt that. After reading this article, I’m sure of it.

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine. He calls himself “Taylor Jones, the hack writer.”

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.dumbincome.com

Share This