My Favorite Writing Spots
They say that an author has a very daunting and lonely task. Some can’t imagine being locked in a room for three hours every day for a year or so while completing a novel. But with today’s writing technology, does fiction-writing really have to be the lonely man’s profession? If you’ve got a fancy laptop, or even if you complete rough drafts in longhand, don’t you have favourite places where you escape to get the privacy and inspiration you need to complete your work?
What makes a writing spot unique? The privacy and inspiration that it provides. Telephones won't ring and nobody is going to come persuade you to go shopping. This is important—don't put off writing that novel; the reality is that the ideal writing time will never come. The place can also have inspiring scenery when you glance up from the page every hour or so. This scenery can inspire you to quickly get back to it and avoid the dreaded writer’s block. Instead of locking yourself in that room, Ottawa writers should try going to any of these places for your daily writing period.
Mooney’s Bay (on Riverside Drive) – Above the beach, lots of lawn. You can easily find a spot in the lawn. Glance ahead, enjoy the beach volleyball, boats, and people swimming in the canal. Oh yeah, the aroma from the barbecues will drive your senses wild.
Downtown Canal (Colonel By, opposite West of NAC) – Huge lawn with view of the canal. Huge shady trees in back. Try going to this spot on a summer evening after eight o’clock. The sound of shoes walking on the canal is deafening.
Dow’s Lake Pavilion (Carling & Prince of Wales) – Lots of inspiration here. Pick a spot on the canal. You’ve got grass and trails all around. Look ahead, people are walking on either sides of the canal. Look at the boats on the water. If you do warm-up exercises before writing, check out the building. Restaurants, banquet rooms and history of the canal.
Ottawa River (University Avenue @ Carleton U) -- Huge lawn and picnic tables looking onto the river. Look to the left, aren’t the residents of that apartment building lucky? Listen carefully, love that running water flowing down the river.
Confederation Park (corner of Elgin & Laurier) – This is a hippie area. Park is usually filled on summer afternoons. There’s benches along the perimeter of the park and tons of lawn within. Lean on the rail and watch the river flow.
2nd Floor Athletics Lounge @ Carleton U -- My favourite winter writing spot. Look through the window down onto the huge Olympic-sized swimming pool. Please note, this place can be very busy with students studying, so you’ll have to experiment to find a good time. Warning: this place gets hot in the summer, so at times it isn’t soothing.
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