It is a truth universally acknowledged that creativity doesn’t come with a pause button.
Whether I’m on a train to London, stuck in a queue at the Post Office, or even boarding a plane for a new and exotic destination, I’ve discovered that I can keep the creative juices flowing without my trusty laptop.
In fact, the art of capturing ideas on the go, is a necessity in today’s world.
No desk? No worries. No laptop? No sweat.
First, let’s talk about the wonders of mobile technology. Much as my Luddite heart wants to refute it, my smartphone has become an essential writing companion.
Picture this: I’m in departures, when suddenly an epic scene flashes through my mind. This was me last week but instead of fretting about my lack of a keyboard, I simply whipped out my phone and dictated my thoughts into Otter, my transcription app of choice. It might have looked as if I was having a heated debate with myself, but trust me, it was all in the name of creativity.
And let’s not underestimate the power of emailing or texting. Over the last few months, I’ve developed a habit of sending myself snippets of dialogue or plot twists. It’s like having a personal assistant who always knows what I need to remember. “She drives a VW beetle called Miranda!”, “Give her a bob!” or “Make sure the candlestick is in the living room!”
It’s even better when I text myself at 3am and am required to later decipher, “Toms saddle hat with the recipe owl”. No, I still don’t know what that means.
Another gem in my creative toolkit is the trusty notebook. They work particularly well during power cuts. I carry a small notebook at all times and jot down ideas whenever they strike. I’ve also been known to write ideas on receipts, the back of envelopes and the back of my hand.
The trick is remembering where you’ve put everything. So at least once a week, I make sure that I’ve scooped up all my ideas and file them away somewhere safe.
This scattergun approach works. While away for a few days last week (laptop free), I managed to write 3000 words of my novel using all of the above. This morning, I typed my handwritten notes into a Word doc, sent myself the Otter transcripts, uploaded those and then combed my voice notes, emails and texts for stragglers.
Embracing the chaos of creativity on the move meant that I was able to “write”, and also store away my many flashes of inspiration (I call them that but obviously some of the notes are utter nonsense).
Use it all. Talk to yourself as you walk the streets, send loving texts, email yourself more often than Temu and cover your hands in ink.
Whatever it takes, right?
Lisa