Making Space

I've been organizing my magazine collections over the past two days in order to straighten up some of the shelves in my office. Did you know you can make great magazine holders out of cereal boxes? A little cutting and some colored paper taped to the outside, and VOILA! a new FREE magazine holder.

As I was re-shelving my magazines in their new holders, I realized that I had more space on the shelves now that the magazines weren't spilling all over themselves and everything else.

So, what does this have to do with writing?

I was thinking about how I was making space and how important that was to my writing. In this case I'm talking about making mental space.

I have to make space in my thoughts during the day to think about my WIP. This helps me work through scenes that I may have struggled with while at my computer. It also gives my muse space to create the dialogue for a new scene.

So, how do I make mental space?

1. I have to unplug. I don't listen to any music on my mp3 player. It's only loaded with books. But if I want to listen to my own thoughts, I have to remove the earplugs to my audiobooks.

2. I do something routine that doesn't require thought. Two of my favorite places to make mental space are my shower and my neighborhood walk. Water is full of powerful, creative energy for me. Standing under the hot shower as I wash my hair always gives my muse an invitation to visit my thoughts. Whereas walking my neighborhood fills my senses with nature, and the fresh air clears the dust from my brain. It also gives me a chance to try speaking dialogue out loud where no one can hear me.

Making space - how do you do it?