Being A Writer Anywhere ....

ONE of the most astonishingly wonderful and simple things about being a writer is that you can do your thing  anywhere.  I have sat on high street benches writing,on a seat  in the middle of a shopping centre, in coffee shops (goes without saying, really), theatres (well I was reviewing the show at the time) and yesterday evening, on the tram home from the day job, I thought of a poem and wrote it down, with people and bags and buggies and newspapers attacking me from all sides. Here it is:

 CLOUDWATCHING

I looked up at the clear blue sky
and saw a baby floating by,
then a moment, maybe two,
the baby had become a shoe,
another moment, blink of eye,
the cloud had gone
- and left blue sky.

This was something that came to me spontaneously and was one of those things that just had to be written.  And there was a lady sitting to my right who was clearly intrigued by the fact there was a disheveled person beside her frantically scribbling something in  a notebook - in fact she kept trying to see what it was; I could tell by the way she kept craning her neck!

One of the first things you learn as a writer is to always carry a notebook with you.  I did this instinctively from the age of about 11 anyway, and, even in this day and age, I still prefer notebook and pen.  I do confess I have used the note facility on my smart phone occasionally, usually to mention something I have seen - dog carrying fanta bottle in mouth, pink hearse, the word is paradox - just to remind myself later when I can actually get to my notebook and pen.!

There are lots of hobbies that can only be done in one place - woodturning, for example, or jewelery making - mainly because of the amount of tools and paraphanalia one needs to engage in that hobby.  I love photography which merely needs a camera (unless you are a professional where all kinds of other gadgets are necessary) - and I have seen people knitting on trains.  But writing you can literally indulge in whenever the urge takes you, wherever you may be.  That is one of the best things about it, I think.  It is like carrying a key to the gate of a fantastic kingdom that only you can get into - and that is true magic!

If you like to write, then next time you are out somewhere, look around you.  I think you will be surprised at how many like-minded people are out there.

Then grab your notebook and pen and WRITE about it!!!!!