PROMPT

Where’s Your ‘Go-To’ Place When You’re Stressed, Depressed, Bored or Just Can’t Write?

The wood shed saves me from sitting around drinking

Some of us are new here. Some of us are veterans. I’ve been writing in Medium for seven months now. It makes me feel almost like a veteran (though my monthly stipend clearly says ‘rookie’).

As writers, we figure out what works by just doing. We can daydream or read as much as we’d like, but nothing works other than sitting down and doing it.

Changing things up and having a go at new things has also been a requirement in the new normal. Though I realise the need to change things up may be very different in Melbourne, Australia than it may be in, say, Petaluma, USA.

The neighbourhood’s again a rather limited space down in my corner of the world. The challenge of finding a space outside the four walls — room or head — to forget about things and rejuvenate is real.

Veterans or rookies, we all have our favourite go-to place…

So where do you go when you need a break, a change of mindset, a circuit breaker or a refresh — for writing and life? There’s your prompt. Go to it.

My place has been the shed. It gets me moving and using my brain for a very different form of construction than writing. I can get lost in a project and it forces me to forget all about my writing or stresses. Wood working and tinkering in the shed shed’s away my boredom and gives me something hands-on to do. Playing around with power tools and the enjoyment of building something forces me to focus on the task at hand.

Worry about finances or relationships or the greater outside world when I’m ripping mitre cuts on the table saw and there will be blood to pay.

A couple of hours later, I brush off the sawdust, turn off the lights and I’m refreshed. Relaxed and content again. The shed’s become my go-to.

Where’s your go-to?

I’m going to kick off by tagging a few of our newest CA writer friends, but don’t think you’re ignored if you don’t see your name on the list. Share your story and add your two cents.

Roo Benjamin, K S Fielding, Zahra Ali, Mahima Sharma, Tijjani Jibril, Stella Hubsch, Quinten Dol, Jason Milton, Bob Merckel, Manab J Kalita, Mellisa Felix, Jay Krasnow, Chris Zappa, Pushpanjalid, Pierce McIntyre, Charles G. Haacker, Aimée Gramblin, Penny Grubb and Penelope Mayfield