On the importance of the physical body on writing and other human endeavors: Excerpted from One Continuous Mistake by Gail Sher
Jack Kerouac paraphrased
…writing, like meditation and self-realization, is an athletic, physical accomplishment.
… Human language derives from the physical nature of man
Jack Kerouac quoted
It was the nerves and not the intellect which created speech.
My take on these Kerouac-isms is that the physical activity one undertakes will have a profound and varying impact on ones writing. Admittedly, I have a convoluted creative process. I’m convinced that writing is precursor to thinking and not the other way round. I write, therefore I think, if you will. My primary physical activities are running and hiking. I once thought that I ran to create endorphins which, in addition to making me feel good (runner’s high) made me think more ambitiously about running. Faster, farther, more accolades, that sort of thing. Hiking, on the other hand, with its pedestrian pace and its “let’s take it all in” mind-set, produces a much greater variety of thought. Projects are born, wrongs are righted, to-do lists are completed. However, my running since June 4, 2008 has given me cause to upgrade the influence of running on my creative process. I am now convinced that running serves as backdrop, perhaps even catalyst for full blown thoughts and ideas that have made their way into my writing, and therefore my thinking. On my longer runs I will even ape my hiking by stopping to jot down a thought or an observation.
I have a more dimly defined conviction that the human body was designed to move forward for great periods of time. Maybe this is a male thing. You know, the hunting and the rain cloud chasing. More probably it was a trait made necessary by the nomadic existence of early human conclaves. I do know that whenever I ignore this design, my body and my social life deteriorate. The bodily deterioration would be obvious so a quick word about my social life. Long ago I was a gadfly turned barfly. I was content to over-indulge in spirits and engage in endless spirit driven banter. As a result I grew fat and boorish and had to leave town (Detroit) to escape suicide through boredom. I moved to Arizona, started running after a thirty year hiatus, and have never looked back. As to my new social life, I’m not saying that all my friends and colleagues are runners. But they are all moving forward with their lives. And when they look at me, I hope they see the same thing. I have concluded that running and hiking are reservoirs of energy that both fuel and guide my writing. Both satisfy my need to be a forward looking and moving person. Did I mention that I’m no longer fat?
Jack Kerouac paraphrased
…writing, like meditation and self-realization, is an athletic, physical accomplishment.
… Human language derives from the physical nature of man
Jack Kerouac quoted
It was the nerves and not the intellect which created speech.
My take on these Kerouac-isms is that the physical activity one undertakes will have a profound and varying impact on ones writing. Admittedly, I have a convoluted creative process. I’m convinced that writing is precursor to thinking and not the other way round. I write, therefore I think, if you will. My primary physical activities are running and hiking. I once thought that I ran to create endorphins which, in addition to making me feel good (runner’s high) made me think more ambitiously about running. Faster, farther, more accolades, that sort of thing. Hiking, on the other hand, with its pedestrian pace and its “let’s take it all in” mind-set, produces a much greater variety of thought. Projects are born, wrongs are righted, to-do lists are completed. However, my running since June 4, 2008 has given me cause to upgrade the influence of running on my creative process. I am now convinced that running serves as backdrop, perhaps even catalyst for full blown thoughts and ideas that have made their way into my writing, and therefore my thinking. On my longer runs I will even ape my hiking by stopping to jot down a thought or an observation.
I have a more dimly defined conviction that the human body was designed to move forward for great periods of time. Maybe this is a male thing. You know, the hunting and the rain cloud chasing. More probably it was a trait made necessary by the nomadic existence of early human conclaves. I do know that whenever I ignore this design, my body and my social life deteriorate. The bodily deterioration would be obvious so a quick word about my social life. Long ago I was a gadfly turned barfly. I was content to over-indulge in spirits and engage in endless spirit driven banter. As a result I grew fat and boorish and had to leave town (Detroit) to escape suicide through boredom. I moved to Arizona, started running after a thirty year hiatus, and have never looked back. As to my new social life, I’m not saying that all my friends and colleagues are runners. But they are all moving forward with their lives. And when they look at me, I hope they see the same thing. I have concluded that running and hiking are reservoirs of energy that both fuel and guide my writing. Both satisfy my need to be a forward looking and moving person. Did I mention that I’m no longer fat?
Garry
