I have spent a lot of time in laundromats and find the sound and the warmth of those big machines very comforting. I have also discovered that my mind wanders wonderfully as shirts, sheets, socks swirled and spun. So I have a habit of bringing a notebook with me to write whatever is on my mind or arises from the slap and bump of clothing being tossed about. Certainly there is a lot of inspiration in the micro-climate of a laundromat, but it’s the realization that I can claim my creativity in more than a room at home that’s the real gift.
I have heard many writers worry that they have no time to write. I easily commiserate. Time gallops along, filled with endless tasks and responsibilities. Our attention is gripped by obligations and other’s needs. Virginia Woolf was not wrong to exhort each of us to claim a room of our own and carve out time to exist within it. But even with access to that room, life pushes us on us, and the struggle to get back to our creative cave takes energy. My answer is to steal time. The world does not care if you take fifteen extra minutes to go grocery shopping. Sit in the car before you go in and write. The world does not care if you write while waiting for a tune up on your car. It does not notice if you write while sitting at the airport during a layover. The world will not charge you extra if you take ten more minutes after going to the gym, the hair salon, the deli, the bookstore. And it will not report you if you write on the subway or in the back of a cab. The world most definitely will applaud you if you write while being put on hold. All of these moments contain plenty of stimulation, emotions, and inspiration. Write about them! Or write around them as escape.
Nearly every day we can find ourselves ‘waiting hostages.’ Liberate yourself and fill the time with your words. Talk to yourself and let your characters talk to you on a walk, on a run, on a bike ride. This is also writing. Allow your creativity to surface no matter where you are, it will feed the times when you are able to stretch fully onto your page. Your notes from ‘stolen’ writes will be prompts, beginnings of poems or scenes, or flash fiction. They will be reminders of what you want and need to say. For starters, take your wash to the laundromat and see what tumbles out.
Upcoming Events
Swamped, written and directed by Court Dorsey and a decades-long AWA workshop writer, walks the perilous lines among currently conflicting points of view. As an experienced and dedicated conflict negotiator, Dorsey has stood at the intersection of those lines.
“Swamped Is a culture clash of red and blue state values. It is a healing saga, a cautionary tale. All told, it’s a story of personal contact, which may be the only real road to reconciliation we have left.” Court Dorsey, Playwright & Director
Swamped runs Thursdays to Saturdays 10/16, 10/17, 10/18, 10/23, 10/24, and 10/25 at 7:30 pm, Sundays 10/19 and 10/26 at 2 pm. All performances at the Wendell Meetinghouse (1 Morse Village Rd., Wendell MA 01379). https://wendellmeetinghouse.ludus.com
Prompt Photo
