I find driving cathartic. I do a lot of troubleshooting behind the wheel. Something about the open road and the repetition allows my mind to wander a little, explore territory I either hadn't considered or revisit something that's been bothering me for a while.
Plot twists for a story suddenly appear. Problems are mysteriously solved. The what-nots of a character's personality or a sudden insight into their personal history burst forth with an ah-ha! that leaves me wondering why the heck I didn't realize that earlier. A kind of palm to forehead kind of moment, you know?
And call me crazy, but I have full on conversations with myself while the cruise control is up and running. Some of the best dialogue in my books comes from those talk-to-myself sessions.
But while driving the ten hours to spend time with my family this past week (there and back with a truck full of little kids. . .any wonder I needed a distraction?), I started a new tradition. . .added a fun twist to my driving repertoire.
It's a game I like to call Wordplay.
So, here's how it works. Pick a word--any word--then come up with a different word for each letter. . .like this. . .
Imagination:
I - ideas
M - magic
A - artistry
G - gutsy
I - ingenuity
N - novel
A - analyze
T - tenacity
I - integrity
O - originality
N - know-how (okay, I cheated on this one!)
So, now you know how I distracted myself on a ten hour trip. Necessity is, after all, the mother of invention.
I am a kindred spirit. I, too, do a lot of dialogue, plot untwisting, and what not behind the wheel. As a rare blood courier, I spend a lot of time behind the wheel so I just naturally think of my novels in progress. I usually work on two at the same time. When I bog down in one, I turn to the other. Thanks for the comment on my blog, Roland
ReplyDeleteWow....a rare blood courier? That's so cool!
ReplyDeleteSometimes when driving I'll work on a plot point but so far have been able to avoid dialogue
ReplyDeleteOh, no....don't avoid dialogue. Characters say the best things when you're talking to them! lol.
ReplyDeleteI love to drive and think about my books. It really does kick things lose, plus sometimes I'll see a sign, or a house, or flowers--all kinds of different things that spark an idea. I probably can't meander as much now that the gas prices are so high. LOL But I really do consider it part of my writing routine. :)
ReplyDeleteDonna
I get the majority of my ideas while I am in motion and finally got a voice recorder to help me when I can't possible jot down my ideas.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, I don't drive much these days (and when I do I have my 2 chatterboxes in the car) and I'm really missing that "alone" time. Can't help but think about how my MS is suffering :(
ReplyDeleteLOL, sounds like a cool word game, might have to teach my 3 and a half year old ;)
Hugs,
Rach