Poll

2 votes (40%)
1 vote (20%)
2 votes (40%)

5 members have voted

Nareed
Nareed
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December 12th, 2010 at 9:14:25 AM permalink
A few weeks ago I had to drive to Chilpancingo for some work-related stuff (not important, but Chilpancingo is the capital of Guerrero state and one of the most awful towns I've seen). It's a fairly long drive, as distances in central Mexico go, of around 280 kilometers (about 175 miles) starting from home, and takes a little under three hours.

During this time I was able to think through a story I'm writing (see my post on Copyright concerns for non-details). By the time I arrived, I had the full story outlined. On the drive back I had fleshed out a big part of it.

Then last week I drove to Queretaro (200 kilometers or about 120 miles, 2+ hours). On the way there and back I untangled some older story ideas, outlined one of them and set up characters for two. Yesterday I drove to Toluca (under sixty kilometers, a little over 40 miles), and less than two hours round trip. Over the round trip, I outlined one story.

This is all very good, as I'd been stuck for years without being able to write anything. But I do wonder why suddenly I'm coming up with solutions that eluded me for a long time.

What do you think? Is it the driving, or is it the time available? Or maybe something else?
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kenarman
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December 12th, 2010 at 9:31:56 AM permalink
I have always found long distance driving to be very conducive to thinking. I often drive for 3 or 4 hours of my work day to get to and from the job site. There is usually not much traffic on the roads so the driving doesn't take much concentration. It is also a 6 hour drive 1 way to the closest craps table. I have had many epiphanies while driving.
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JerryLogan
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December 12th, 2010 at 9:54:30 AM permalink
You're getting old, life's becoming monotonous and so is the job, so you're finding more and more time to wonder why you never accomplished what you've wanted to along the way.

I listen to loud music when I drive distances, and I save my thinking for the airplane rides. In other words, I still enjoy life.
AZDuffman
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December 12th, 2010 at 10:05:30 AM permalink
I have found unbelievable things go thru my head while driving. I do a fair amount of trips 200-300 miles and have for about 15 years now. Long ago I started turning off the readio much of the time and it is amazing. I will find myslef making business idead in my head. Calculating how much later sundown is per 100 miles. Wonder if we tool all the paved highways together how big of a parking lot you would get. One or two times I asked someone else a question that came up and they kind of wer upset with a "where did you get *that*?" reaction.

You didn't say what kind of roads and conditions, but I find for me this happens on interstates or southwest "open road" driving where there is little traffic and only part of my brain is engaged in driving. It doesn't happen when I am sitting watching TV. So I think it has to do with your brain needs to function to make it happen. You need to use maybe 20% to drive, but you must really use that 20%. Using the 20% engages the rest which naturally wants to do something. So it starts thinking random thoughts which then become productive thoughts.
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Doc
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December 12th, 2010 at 10:32:21 AM permalink
Quote: JerryLogan

You're getting old, life's becoming monotonous and so is the job, so you're finding more and more time to wonder why you never accomplished what you've wanted to along the way.

I listen to loud music when I drive distances, and I save my thinking for the airplane rides. In other words, I still enjoy life.

Jerry, I both agree (to an extent) and disagree. I think that the boring, monotonous activities provide both opportunity and, perhaps, incentive to use our minds creatively. I don't extend that notion to thinking that Nareed is going through some sort of midlife crisis worrying about his life's accomplishments -- he's just found an additional way to be productive while driving.

Back when I was stuck in the life mode of actually having a job, I spent hours per day for years, commuting in Atlanta traffic. I did not listen to the radio -- about the only music they played that I really liked and which they didn't fill with commercials was the classical stuff on public radio. During my commute times, they had their talk shows, which I wasn't really an enthusiast for -- Jerry, you probably know how (shudder) liberal those shows are!

I did find the stop-and-go drive time useful for analyzing both challenges at work and puzzles that amused me. It was in just such a mode that I finally solved a long-dormant puzzle that I posted here, but it never drew any interest from anyone in this forum.

And I feel I still do a pretty good job of enjoying life. Glad that you do, too.

Edit: BTW, part of that "enjoying life" involves flying out to Las Vegas tomorrow morning!
JerryLogan
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December 12th, 2010 at 11:15:12 AM permalink
Quote: Doc

Jerry, I both agree (to an extent) and disagree. I think that the boring, monotonous activities provide both opportunity and, perhaps, incentive to use our minds creatively. I don't extend that notion to thinking that Nareed is going through some sort of midlife crisis worrying about his life's accomplishments -- he's just found an additional way to be productive while driving.

Back when I was stuck in the life mode of actually having a job, I spent hours per day for years, commuting in Atlanta traffic. I did not listen to the radio -- about the only music they played that I really liked and which they didn't fill with commercials was the classical stuff on public radio. During my commute times, they had their talk shows, which I wasn't really an enthusiast for -- Jerry, you probably know how (shudder) liberal those shows are!

I did find the stop-and-go drive time useful for analyzing both challenges at work and puzzles that amused me. It was in just such a mode that I finally solved a long-dormant puzzle that I posted here, but it never drew any interest from anyone in this forum.

And I feel I still do a pretty good job of enjoying life. Glad that you do, too.

Edit: BTW, part of that "enjoying life" involves flying out to Las Vegas tomorrow morning!



We agree on the opportunity to use our mind in boring times. I just find flying very boring, and I usually do not fly to LV. Nareed asked for opinion and I presented mine. I'd like to add that driving in Mexico isn't like driving from SF to Denver, and I don't imagine the cars are too exciting either. I'm not a big fan of the radio unless it's Sirius-XM where I can also listen to The King, Bill O'Reilly, and I usually plug in my iPod and crank it up. These technologies are probably years away in Mexico.

I hope you're just as happy when LEAVING LV!
Nareed
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December 12th, 2010 at 11:26:04 AM permalink
Quote: AZDuffman

You didn't say what kind of roads and conditions, but I find for me this happens on interstates or southwest "open road" driving where there is little traffic and only part of my brain is engaged in driving.



About the same. Mexican highways are either two or three lanes going in each direction. Usually there's no traffic.

It helps I drive out of radio range of the stations pre-set in my car radio, even on short hauls like Toluca.

As a side note, I find these long drives less tiring if I engage in this kind of thinking. They also go by faster.
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AZDuffman
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December 12th, 2010 at 11:40:14 AM permalink
Quote: Nareed

About the same. Mexican highways are either two or three lanes going in each direction. Usually there's no traffic.

It helps I drive out of radio range of the stations pre-set in my car radio, even on short hauls like Toluca.

As a side note, I find these long drives less tiring if I engage in this kind of thinking. They also go by faster.



I think it is a certain kind of "mind" people have. Lets go back to "How the States Got Their Shapes." Some people are geeks like me who eat all that up. Some people say "who on earth cares?" I find radio preference can be an indicator. Those who listen to more talk shows on any suject be it conservative, sports, or the 134 people who tuned in to "Air America" at its peak prefer to "think" while the people who listen to only music not as much. This is in general, of course, so those of you who make 500 hours of classic rock before you leave for a trip it does not automatically mean you.
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Nareed
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December 12th, 2010 at 12:59:55 PM permalink
Quote: AZDuffman

I find radio preference can be an indicator. Those who listen to more talk shows on any suject be it conservative, sports, or the 134 people who tuned in to "Air America" at its peak prefer to "think" while the people who listen to only music not as much. This is in general, of course, so those of you who make 500 hours of classic rock before you leave for a trip it does not automatically mean you.



I use the radio more as a distraction. Usually I put the news on in the morning drive (a short 7 miles, but sometimes that takes an hour due to traffic). As quitting times varies widely (last Friday it was at 3 am!), what I listen to on the way back varies as well. if I leave around 8 there's a great science program from 8 to 9. At 6 I put the news on again. Otherwise I'll put on one of the "oldies" stations (there at least 3) or pop in a CD.

But I can get inspiration from music, too. One of the old stories I got untangled recently is based partly on "Allies" by "Heart." There's a line in the song that goes "But the spirit still remains/with the keepers of the flame." I liked the phrase "Keepers of the flame," and that led to a semi-covert paramilitary/intelligence organization, which is part of the story.
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JerryLogan
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December 12th, 2010 at 4:19:34 PM permalink
"But I can get inspiration from music, too. One of the old stories I got untangled recently is based partly on "Allies" by "Heart." There's a line in the song that goes "But the spirit still remains/with the keepers of the flame." I liked the phrase "Keepers of the flame," and that led to a semi-covert paramilitary/intelligence organization, which is part of the story."

That's just weird.
ElectricDreams
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December 12th, 2010 at 5:18:46 PM permalink
Quote: JerryLogan

"But I can get inspiration from music, too. One of the old stories I got untangled recently is based partly on "Allies" by "Heart." There's a line in the song that goes "But the spirit still remains/with the keepers of the flame." I liked the phrase "Keepers of the flame," and that led to a semi-covert paramilitary/intelligence organization, which is part of the story."

That's just weird.



It's called creative inspiration. You should try it sometime!
Nareed
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December 12th, 2010 at 6:44:07 PM permalink
Quote: ElectricDreams

It's called creative inspiration. You should try it sometime!



I hate to give in anything to Jerry, but maybe the way I phrased it is weird. After all, I did skip over the thought process. One of my stories involves an alliance between two planets, forged at the time one of them was occupied by forces from a third one.

The occupied world has a statute of its founder holding a lantern, which is lit with flames at night. The occupiers tore it down, and thus the missing flames became a symbol of resistance. This symbol was taken most seriously by a paramilitary group that struck hard blows at the enemy in the liberation war that followed. After the war they remained organized as a second line of defense against foreign enemies, and took on formally the name Keepers of the Flame.

In a latter story set in this universe, a member from this group features prominently in the plot.

You should see what I did with "The Bangles" and "Lost At Sea." from the beginning of the song I got an underwater construction and demolition company (Lyrics: "Can we try to salvage what we can/from the weight of water and sand/And lift us up again?") And from the chorus I got my lead dying off-world (Lyrics: "Could it be that we're lost at sea/and we're drowning under the stars?")

If anything I take songs too literally.
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JerryLogan
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December 12th, 2010 at 7:57:16 PM permalink
You need a little Black Sabbath in your life:)
Ayecarumba
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December 13th, 2010 at 2:38:04 PM permalink
I voted for time. In this modern world we don't have enough opportunity to be still and enjoy chunks of uninterrupted quiet. I think if you had the opportunity (and the discipline) to spend an equivalent amount of time doing nothing in terms of physical activity, or being fed info-tainment, you would discover the same creative flow (and perhaps even more, as the portion of your attention that must focus on driving, could also be dedicated to the creative mental "work".)

It is difficult to do though, as we are conditioned to fill our, "idle" time by keeping busy. e.g., physical work, gathering information, listening / watching entertainment. Some folks could not sit still for more than a minute or two.
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Nareed
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December 14th, 2010 at 1:15:15 PM permalink
Quote: Ayecarumba

I voted for time. In this modern world we don't have enough opportunity to be still and enjoy chunks of uninterrupted quiet.



That's true, and it's unfortunate.

Still, while I can't multitask very well, I can graze reasonably well. I mean I can do one thing, break off to do something else, then return to the first task. But just thinking is more difficult when there are distractions available, even if of your own making.

BTW yesterday I had to present a proposal along with 8 other bidders. The meeting to review and check the documents lasted, I swear I'm not kidding or even exaggerating, from 11 am Monday to 5 am Tuesday (don't ask why). I took along the outlines I've been working on, but neglected to print the story I'm actually writing. Just the same, even with interruptions from the customer and from my colelagues, not to mention calls from work to check on progress, I managed to get in a fair amount of work on my writing. I revised outlines, wrote down character background notes (by hand, I don't have a laptop), I even summoned my characters for a chat and found out some of their motivation (I know that sounds weird, but it's what it feels I'm doing when I'm acting out scenes in my mind. I also call it "getting into the characters' heads")

It's amazing how much background never makes it into a story. I feel like books ought to be sold with suplemental notes with these things, plus development trivia the reader might enjoy.
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JerryLogan
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December 14th, 2010 at 1:36:10 PM permalink
Quote: Nareed

That's true, and it's unfortunate.

Still, while I can't multitask very well, I can graze reasonably well. I mean I can do one thing, break off to do something else, then return to the first task. But just thinking is more difficult when there are distractions available, even if of your own making.

BTW yesterday I had to present a proposal along with 8 other bidders. The meeting to review and check the documents lasted, I swear I'm not kidding or even exaggerating, from 11 am Monday to 5 am Tuesday (don't ask why). I took along the outlines I've been working on, but neglected to print the story I'm actually writing. Just the same, even with interruptions from the customer and from my colelagues, not to mention calls from work to check on progress, I managed to get in a fair amount of work on my writing. I revised outlines, wrote down character background notes (by hand, I don't have a laptop), I even summoned my characters for a chat and found out some of their motivation (I know that sounds weird, but it's what it feels I'm doing when I'm acting out scenes in my mind. I also call it "getting into the characters' heads")

It's amazing how much background never makes it into a story. I feel like books ought to be sold with suplemental notes with these things, plus development trivia the reader might enjoy.



Methinks you're smoking the funny weed or drinking the silly juice.
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