Writing Series - Grounding, regulation and nature

You may be thinking what do grounding, nature and regulation have to do with writing? And aren't they all the same thing? The stereotypical idea of a writer sat at a desk for hours with a block, biting their pen or studiously typing away on a typewriter, or nowadays on a laptop, are the furthest from my creative process.

Rupert on our morning walk

I didn't have Rupert, my cockerpoo, when writing the first two books but him, his walks and calming nature, feature heavily now in my writing process.

I wrote Thai Die sat in a hammock with the sound of the waves no more than 20 feet from me. I wrote Connecting Trains there too. After the few hours focused writing I always followed it with a walk, along the beach.

Here, writing in the UK, being out in nature, walking Rupert is where I write, think, develop and hone my stories. Using technology, mainly my smartphone, allows me to do all those parts of my creative process while walking. Like this morning, I recorded Episode 6 of the Story Behind My Stories podcast while walking Rupert.

Moving, being in nature and hearing the sounds make a great balance between being in my head when writing and being physical and in my body to regulate and ground then do other things outside of writing.

I use being in nature, exercise and the pathway on To Be Magnetic as my tools to regulate, to build my characters and backgrounds and to help the creative process along. My senses of smell, sight and hearing along with moving reminds my brain on some level to bring those to my characters and story to give it depth, feeling and authenticity. It works!

Being creative and writing lights me up and it's easy to use my own experiences as another character in my novels when I write from a grounded place. Be that walking, out in nature, by the sea or with Rupert entwined at my side.

The rest of my life, including the marketing of my books and my 'day' job are all very mental, logical and structured. Writing and being creative is light, fun and exciting.

My future view for writing

Being by the sea is my happy place, that seems to automatically ground me. Along with the sun and heat so I am looking forward to writing in my new place with all that combined, along of course with Rupert.

Have a good week,

Helen x

If you want to know more about regulating your nervous system and To Be Magnetic go to https://tobemagnetic.com and feel free to use my referral link to join herehttps://login.tobemagnetic.com/a/2147524106/LhbnpJpw