The Joys Of Texting While Driving
Texting While Driving
We all know that sticking our nose in a device to read and answer messages while we drive is akin to driving while impaired. But safe texting while driving is something I've done for years. Here's how it works:
There is a pad of paper and a pen on the seat next to me. Remember paper? Pens? They still work. And there is a road where I can drive very slow or even pull over to jot a couple of words. It's become an almost daily ritual, because the break from "Butt In Chair" seems to really help get my creative juices going again.
We are very fortunate to have a winding gravel road that almost nobody uses except for me and one of our neighbors, and we haven’t collided yet! Here's a map of the six-mile route:
And here’s the view:
A lot of writers talk of their routine …show more content…
Instead, leave with an unresolved problem in your head. "Why would she say that?" "What does she do when this happens?" "What will happen next?" Getting out of the work surroundings and into a quiet place inside your head (no checking the device!) with that nagging unanswered question in mind can often lead to some interesting answers. Some will pull over, or sit down if they’re walking, and write volumes. Others, like me, will simply jot key words, only legible to us sometimes, to remind us of our brainstorms. We can worry about the details later. For me, there is something about keeping it simple that keeps the ideas fresher. And I can’t wait to get back in that chair and work it out.
For instance, when writing BUG!, a picture book I recently sold, I got in my dusty car with the question, "What funny thing happens when the crickets get away?" And while I wound through the countryside, an idea popped up. I wrote “teacher” “curly hair” and “aggregate” and then I laughed so hard I did have to pull over. That brainstorm even made it to the edited version of the
We all know that sticking our nose in a device to read and answer messages while we drive is akin to driving while impaired. But safe texting while driving is something I've done for years. Here's how it works:
There is a pad of paper and a pen on the seat next to me. Remember paper? Pens? They still work. And there is a road where I can drive very slow or even pull over to jot a couple of words. It's become an almost daily ritual, because the break from "Butt In Chair" seems to really help get my creative juices going again.
We are very fortunate to have a winding gravel road that almost nobody uses except for me and one of our neighbors, and we haven’t collided yet! Here's a map of the six-mile route:
And here’s the view:
A lot of writers talk of their routine …show more content…
Instead, leave with an unresolved problem in your head. "Why would she say that?" "What does she do when this happens?" "What will happen next?" Getting out of the work surroundings and into a quiet place inside your head (no checking the device!) with that nagging unanswered question in mind can often lead to some interesting answers. Some will pull over, or sit down if they’re walking, and write volumes. Others, like me, will simply jot key words, only legible to us sometimes, to remind us of our brainstorms. We can worry about the details later. For me, there is something about keeping it simple that keeps the ideas fresher. And I can’t wait to get back in that chair and work it out.
For instance, when writing BUG!, a picture book I recently sold, I got in my dusty car with the question, "What funny thing happens when the crickets get away?" And while I wound through the countryside, an idea popped up. I wrote “teacher” “curly hair” and “aggregate” and then I laughed so hard I did have to pull over. That brainstorm even made it to the edited version of the