As writers we each have our own wells of inspiration: Places, mementos, aromas, foods…
Yesterday at Triangle Writers’ first spring workshop, Humorous Memoir taught by DSI Comedy Theater‘s director Paula Pazderka, one of the discussions we had was about what inspires us to write. We talked about old clothes, photographs, aromas, and I mentioned I love walking around historic neighborhoods looking at houses. I love old homes. Whether it’s a three-story masterpiece with a wraparound rocking chair porch with fluted columns and working shutters on all windows, or a cottage with scrolled trim and a sun-filled solarium, I fall in love with every old house. But, if you know me, this is no secret.
My secret is:
I love doing laundry.
I love the whole process of laundry: Sorting lights, darks and delicates. The smell of detergent. Pulling a clean load from the dryer. Stretching clean sheets tight across the mattress. Matching socks, folding clothes, sorting away on shelves and drawers. And, don’t get me started on ironing. I love ironing. Burning away each wrinkle and giving clothes their lives back. I don’t know why I get so much pleasure from this domestic activity, but every week I find myself floating on a happy cloud, as fluffy as my sheets when they come out of the dryer.
It inspires me to write and revise. It makes me throw old verse through the spin cycle, drop a few stained stanzas, and press narrative wrinkles down to flat clean prose.
What uncommon thing surprises you with inspiration to write? Surprise me.
Write Naked 
I teach as my day job and I find the students, in all their variety – smart, rude, diligent, cheeky, humourous and downright sad sometimes – a huge source of inspiration. They are a flowing river of humanity that I’m fortunate enough to paddle in on a daily basis, and boy do they know how to call a spade a spade!
Thanks, Louise! How old are your students? They say we’re our true selves at the age of 8 and then after that society takes over. Lovely to be reminded of humanity!
I’m a high school teacher so I get the range of ages from 12 to 18. I’m not convinced society has entirely taken over. Some are still untainted… ;D
Wow, you have succeeded in surprising me! It’s nice to know parts of our next generation are retaining their core selves.
Speaking of household chores, I get inspired doing the dishes. We don’t have a dish washer, so washing each dish and utensil individually really gives me time to think and dream. Especially on the days when I have neglected the dishes from the night before and they’re piled high! Also, we don’t have a dryer for laundry, so hanging the clothes on the clothing line gives me time too! I actually think that a lot of people, especially women, may get their inspiration during tedious household chores!
Great post!
🙂
Washing dishes! I do find this fun too sometimes. Especially at places where I’ve lived that have good views from the sink. Where I am now I can look out at the trees and wildlife – and there’s a hungry spider who keeps catching insects ten times his size in his web. Perhaps there are universal and necessary activities that writers are inspired by. I remember a few years ago I unconsciously had a different character in different stories who tied their shoes – I was very attached to that action at the time!