As writers, we live in bubbles, all alone in our offices. We are often confined to our thoughts within an office/home space and sometimes we must escape it and break FREE to find stimulation and transformation elsewhere. Sometimes I go out. Like, right out. As in, away. To Rome for four days. I often return home with a glorious moment of Roman sensory refreshment.
I take my writing fragments with me. Actually, I never leave the house without at least one fragment in my bag or pocket. They come with me everywhere because the perfect sentence, description or mannerism can strike at any moment and I want to fit that sentence, description or mannerism straight into my fragment.
At the earliest possible moment, you should start thinking about your Sense of Place. Throughout my explorations in Rome, mostly near and around Trastevere, I jotted down my impressions of smells, sounds and tastes. I wrote those thoughts directly onto my fragments.
Perhaps it was just a feeling in the church air while a woman closes herself into prayer, the use and expression of language by the people around me, the jutting vespa handlebars that make footpaths impossible, the sound of wheels on uneven cobblestones, the look of a woman’s walk in high heels on uneven cobblestones, the texture and feel of a wall, the smell of the in-season vegetables. I may use some of these Sense of Place observations, I may not. The important thing is that I now HAVE THEM.
Taking note, or simply noticing, is one of the many things I love about being a writer. It’s beautiful to write down what you see, hear and smell. As your senses come alive, so will your imagination so write in your journal, add a sketch or write (as I do) straight onto your printed fragments.
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If you’d like to share any comments or thoughts, I’d be happy to hear from you. Email me directly at lisacliffordwriter@gmail.com.