Everything is Writing
So what's your excuse for not writing?
“Everything is writing,” my MFA classmates and I would tell each other as a joke. That meant that sitting outside in the early summer sun was writing, and chatting at the tables in the dining hall was writing, and that napping was writing, and that late night aperitifs were writing. All of it was writing.
We didn’t just make this up, mind you. It came, like most good advice, directly from the mouth of one of our professors.
On its surface it sounds like an excuse to procrastinate and not write. Fair enough. The actual explanation is more complex. Much more so than we realize, writing requires the subconscious. Yes, there is your very conscious mind stringing words together as you sit down to write/type/dictate them, but then there’s your subconscious. The thing always churning in the background, your mind computer trying to work out problems and solutions without you knowing it. That thing, more importantly, that can’t be told what to do.1 Inspiration from the subconscious is often fleeting and haphazard, but boy when it strikes, it’s hot.
How do you get the subconscious to hurry things along, say for that story you’re trying to write? Well, the easy answer is: live. Get out in the world and do something. Remind yourself that the world is lived out there and not behind your phone screen.2 After all, everything is writing.
Ahead, my favorite ways to write that aren’t even writing at all.
Reading is writing.
How am I supposed to be a better writer if I don’t read? Great authors from Stephen King to Ursula K. LeGuin have pointed this out, and I’d be remiss for not listening to my betters. There’s an argument that there are only seven stories, so clearly someone must have figured out a way to write a new interesting one, so I can do it, too. Besides, reading is effectively research for writing.
Traveling is writing.
Nothing opens up your mind more than traveling somewhere new. It doesn’t even have to be a new place, it could just be new for to you. Example: I’ve been up to Ogunquit, Maine many times before, but not recently. This past weekend was a chance for me to see what’s changed. There’s construction in the center of town, a new house is going up down the street, there’s a dune that was damaged by weather, the piping plovers are now out and running around with their chicks on their tiny little legs. Travel can be as intensive and extensive as traveling across the world or just getting out of your day-to-day lifestyle. A change of scenery is generally a good thing.
Side note: we need to bring back seaside cures. Pretty sure by Victorian standards I’m insane, and would benefit from a few months doing nothing by the ocean.
Puzzling is writing.
I don’t recall being much of a puzzler as a kid. I don’t recall disliking them, but I did more Sudoku and logic games throughout high school and college. But the puzzle bug hit me HARD during the pandemic, and I once again regret nothing.
I like puzzling because it allows me to accomplish something while also doing nothing. I believe this is what is called a ‘hobby.’ Idk, I’m not really good at not being productive 24/7. But I usually puzzle while listening to music, or long videos, and just being able to do something seemingly mindless does wonders for me. I just sit and putter away for hours on end, and my mind can wander and who knows what else will come of it.
Dreaming is writing.
Day dreaming or regular sleeping or otherwise. I have very vivid dreams and lucid dream on top of it, so I often can get inspiration from my nocturnal perambulations. Even still, sleeping aside, it’s useful to just have a cup of tea and sit and think about your story, what your characters could be doing, or how you envision things turning out. If you’re not someone who remembers their dreams, try a guided meditation! It’s the next best thing,
Walking is writing.
Much like puzzling, walking is both an outlet and a potential writing source for me. What with the whole: 1) it is a productive activity, 2) it’s exercise, and 3) I can be daydreaming at the same time. Killing three birds with one stone right there!3
But walking is also a great way to learn cities. It’s a great way to learn your neighborhood, and nature walks or adventure walks or even just a stroll around the block can help you get out of your own head and see the world and your writing in a new way. It is a form of traveling, after all! And as we already know, traveling is writing.
Existing is writing.
Seems like a cop out, but I’d hardly be the first person to draw from their own life experiences in their writing. Mine your life. Write about your weird great-aunt or your childhood or use a memory to make up something new all together. For me, it’s been how my shoulders have tried to revolt.
Story time: when I went to London in March, I purposefully bought a new backpack. I thought the reason I was having shoulder pain was because I was wearing cross body bags or slinging around a larger bag on only one shoulder. Nope! Turns out that my shoulders are in pain by virtue of *checks notes* being shoulders. I had a particularly bad flare up last week where I woke up Friday morning and couldn’t turn my head.4
This isn’t to say I’ll use this in a story (but who knows, honestly.) It’s to say that even in the mundane, I and you can find inspiration.
I would be remiss if I didn’t actually say you should write. Yeah, you probably should. The Muse does show up when you sit down and make a regular practice of it.5 But, don’t harangue yourself for nourishing your writing practice in other ways. After all, everything is writing.
To be fair my regular brain can’t be told what to do, either.
I need this reminder as much as anyone so no judgment here.
Once again: I have a really hard time not optimizing every single second of my day. Blame capitalism and my Capricorn Rising.
Thought I had a few more years until hurting myself while sleeping age, but I guess not. Thanks EDS!!!!
What one of my professors called ‘Ass-In-Chair’ time.
Showering is Writing. Hence my new waterproof notepad hahah
this is so true! okay yes it can be a cop-out sometimes to prevent ourselves from doing the actual work, but it’s amazing what can come out of taking an intentional break!