Words can take us to any place and any time. I was delighted to discover words I wrote in my notebook during a summer holiday in Devon. My thoughts were scattered on the page, so I picked them up, revisited my photo album and returned to a time when I suffered a creative drought.
The heat stifled ideas and frazzled my creativity. I complained the holiday cottage was too dark for me to write. After a few days, I worried my ideas had taken leave. I blamed the environment because small windows trapped the darkness in the room, and I seemed to have reached a dead end with the story.
Entering A la Ronde, created by Jane and Mary Parminter, confirmed that the correct environment is essential. My creativity opened again as soon as I wandered around the eighteenth century house. I found the ideal house for an author. Imagine a sixteen-sided house that allows you to follow the light around the house. Perfect!
In this house, I would be able to chase my ideas around and around in circles until I found the correct room to write. Ideas travel around like the wheels of a windmill until I get them on paper and stop them circling. Sometimes, I release ideas too early and they must be abandoned. For me, the thrill of chasing ideas is the most exciting element of the writing process.
Please see all my Handbag Adventures and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.