Wednesday Guest Post

I was really happy when K.M. Allan accepted my invitation to guest host today. For the past couple of months I have been her beta reader.

I was able to see her drive and determination, combined with her talent as a storyteller. I have no doubt you and I will see her work in our favorite bookstores.

But on the flip side of this shiny coin I feel she eats way to many tacos. She also has a habit of reminding me on a daily basis that she is the good twin. I must admit, the jury is still out.

But enough about me.

Ladies and gentlemen may I introduce to you one of my favorite Australians whose heart is pure gold.

K.M Allan, it’s all yours.   

 

Walking For Creativity

When you’re a writer who works from home, most of your day is spent indoors, crammed in a chair, huddled at a desk, not doing your back any favors. You end the day emotionally drained, with aching bones, and eyeballs that can’t handle light that doesn’t flare off a computer screen.

Your skin hasn’t been drenched in natural light for hours and you count it as a good day if you spoke out loud to anyone—yourself or otherwise.

When you’re trapped indoors and in your head, one of the best ways to unwind is taking a walk outside. Some people can do this all year round, not caring about the weather (sure, I can trudge through snow, hail, and don’t mind getting heatstroke!). Others wait for the days when the air is the right temperature and the light just right (a necessity if you’re like me and take photos as you’re walking).

I like to walk either early morning or late evening. I’m a sucker for the first bursting rays of sunlight at dawn or watching them melt into pink clouds at dusk. As a creative person, if you don’t find this inspiring, you should have your soul checked—it might be missing.

Walking in the morning gifts you with fresh air and kicks off your accomplishments for the day (after all, you did drag yourself out of bed while everyone else was still sleeping). Walking in the evening gives you the chance to mull over the day’s work. I’ve figured out many plot twists pounding the pavement after tapping the keys all day.

I live in Australia and I’m lucky the area I call home has plenty of greenery. While walking the dirt path of a creek one early morning, I even spotted a kangaroo, but he bounded off before I could take a picture. Most of the wildlife I see are birds. Kookaburras, Rosellas, Cockatoos, and Ducks that like to charge if your walking path veers too close to them. During some very early mornings you can also see possums that dangle above you as they make their way across power lines. If I was a children’s picture book author, they’d make great characters for a book.

Instead, I’m a YA writer who sees dark magic and mysterious disappearances when walking amongst creeks and their surrounding trees. If you’re looking for an inspiring way to fuel your creativity, try walking and see what story ideas it stirs up. At the very least, it’ll get you out of your chair, and those aching bones moving.

 

— K.M. Allan

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