Walking and Writing: Could a Daily Walk Boost Your Creativity?

A walk is only a step away from a story, and every path tells. – Patrick Leigh Fermor

I’m so obsessed with the topic of walking and writing I should write a book on it. Duncan Minshull did. In his book Beneath My Feet: Writers on Walking, Minshull includes a letter that Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote to his niece in 1847. In it he declares:

“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.”

Søren Kierkegaard

These words could have been my mantra last year. In 2020 I committed to walking for exercise for at least 30 minutes every single day – in spite of the fact that I was going through breast cancer treatments. And I stuck with it. I walked just hours after my lumpectomy. I walked after surgery for my chemotherapy port placement. I walked after my first chemotherapy treatment and I walked on the days when chemo made 30 minutes feel like 30 miles. I was even quoted in Oprah magazine because of my walking challenge!

In addition to faith, family, and friends, the things that got me through cancer were walking and writing. And therefore, I believe I can walk and write my way through anything. And I am convinced that walking and writing go hand-in-hand.

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Reflecting on 10 Years of See Jane Write

Ten years ago today I walked into a Mexican restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama, to have dinner with a dozen women I’d never met before. I was there because I wanted to start a women’s writing group. During this dinner that I had arranged, we talked about writing, blogging, social media, and more. We talked about our current writing projects and the projects we dreamed of pursuing. And with this meeting See Jane Write was born.

See Jane Write has changed so much over the past decade, and so have I. And I’ve learned a lot every step of the way. Here are 10 lessons I’ve learned from 10 years of See Jane Write.

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Member of the Month: Kristina Hamlett

Kristina Hamlett‘s writing journey shows that good things happen when you just DO THE WORK.

In 2018 she self-published her e-book What I Love About You: A Guided Journal to Writing Your Proposal and Vows. She’s been blogging for years, she’s written for several websites, and she was selected to participate in The Storyteller Project: Digital Storytelling for Women of Color.

Now her first collection of poetry and prose has been published by L10 Press.

“At this point, it feels like every opportunity was a stepping stone or in preparation for this moment,” Kristina says. 

She Lives Here is available now and what better way to celebrate Kristina’s book release day than to honor her as the See Jane Write Member of the Month for March 2021.

Read on to learn more about Kristina and her new book.

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How to Create a Writing Routine

Should you create a writing routine or just write when you’re inspired?

A great writer, some sources say it was William Faulkner, once said, “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

I love this quote because it speaks to the power – and necessity – of creating a writing routine.

Waiting for inspiration to hit before you write isn’t going to help you achieve your writing goals. But creating and sticking to a writing routine will.

You can finally create a writing regimen of your own with these simple steps.

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