The Big City: immensely stimulating…
A trip to the Big City can awaken even the most uninspired writer.
I recently took a train ride to Toronto. I used to live there some time ago and loved the vibrancy and excitement the city offered.
Now, I live in a small quieter town not really longing to be amidst the chaotic and stressful day-to-day that the Big City presents.
But each year right about now, without fail, I wish I were back because to me, there is nothing like warm weather and relaxation provided by sitting in an outdoor café.
The experience stirs the creative fires in me and my mind bursts forth with literary possibilities.
See to me the Big City is an incredible place of great stimulation and immense Creativity!
I’m not referring to skyscrapers and Big Money. Nor am I speaking of the fascinating world of Fashion and must-have trends.
I believe it’s that place where Creative Energy exists and flows everywhere.
I don’t mean that small towns offer nothing in the way of inspiration. But the characteristics of what make the Big City so crazy fun for a writer is what sets it apart from small town settings.
The Big City can toss mayhem at you in the form of a cramped and crowded subway ride one minute and then immediately calm you with a cold lemonade on a patio the next.
A day can have such thrilling potential merely by lunching in a cosmopolitan restaurant or an outdoor café.
The sights, the sounds, the smells, the people of purpose and those of leisure, seem to tug at a writer’s sleeve urging him/her to document it all.
A stroll through Union Station or the Toronto Eaton Centre provides enough people watching to inspire the most colourful of literary characters.
Not to mention of course are also the many neighbourhoods full of cultural and historical significance that shout to be acknowledged and invited a chance to showcase their wares.
Eavesdropping on a Sunday morning brunch can offer up the perfect laid-back chit chat a writer is looking for, between two of his/her main characters, before any other adventure even begins for them.
I think European Big Cities offer something entirely different though. Their charm is Otherworldly.
A trip abroad opens up a captivating treasure trove of ideas and grand imaginative appeal. History is alive everywhere you roam.
A historic building or location can easily take on the role of fascinating character itself (like what a French villa in France did for A Year in Provence) or help guide a protagonist a long in his/her own journey of discovery.
But for cities like Toronto or New York, it is that special something that pulls and pushes you forward to explore and feel and wander around, taking it all into your own thoughts.
And in the end, it’s just enough magical fodder for a new Novel chapter while, at the same time, being a wondrous ride for the writer too.
Next up, the benefits of small town living for the everyday author in you 🙂
peekiequeen Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Wonderful imagery, Peekiequeen! Makes me want to run off to the big city….! Will look forward to your upcoming musings on small towns. 🙂 B. On 6/11/14 4:06 PM, “The Expressib