The Colours of a Writer's Life
Unless you've been living in the wildest reaches of nowhere, I am sure you will have noticed that there is a new craze sweeping the country. This is for adult colouring books. Now, I am an early adopter so I had to rush out and get a couple of these right at the beginning. I will also confess to a secret love for colouring in. I used to do it a lot as a child as well as the process of buying pencils, colouring books and notebooks. So what has this got to do with writing I hear you ask? Good question. Here are my thoughts.
As a writer I find that my mind is always racing. It is full of ideas which my be useful in a book. Nuggets which will sound good, or read well. As I write murder mysteries I will leave it to your imagination as to what my mind is often filled with. Suffice to say you may not want to meet me in a dark alley. Despite all this activity, often my mind gets bogged down in trying to find the right word, phrase or twist in the tale. Sitting down and colouring an intricate picture can calm my mind down. It allows it to think about nothing more complex than which colours look best next to each other. It frees my mind and allows the sub conscious to take over. It is then I often have my most brilliant thoughts and know exactly where my story should go.
Often my plots can be as complex as the picture I am colouring. As a writer it is my job to pull all the individual parts together to make a whole story which will be enjoyed by readers, I add just the right words, much like choosing just the right colours. In the end there will be one glorious whole which brings pleasure to readers.
Colouring books also have a part to play in my Christian life. Colouring quiets my mind and frees it up to concentrate on God rather on the chaos of life. It provides an oasis away from the hustle and bustle which can often drown out God. I can put on worship music and let the words flow over me whilst my hands are busy with pencil and paper. Or I can colour in silence and let the only sound be God's voice. It is truly liberating.
As I finish I will ask can anyone identify with this? Does any reader of this blog use adult colouring books? If you don't it is worth trying them.
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I like to sit and do something creative too. I find it very therapeutic but I have not used a colouring book since my childhood. Worth a thought. Thank you Wendy
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. It is therapeutic and enjoyable
DeleteI too admit to being a fan of colouring books for adults. It has taken me by surprise since I disliked colouring in as a child - maybe the pictures were too big? But colouring for adults is intricate without being fiddly and I love it. My current favourite way to relax is to watch Downton with either my colouring book or knitting to hand :)
ReplyDeleteLet you into a secret - initially I swore Adi to silence on the subject. But having discovered my mum-in-law also enjoys her colouring books, I am happy to proudly admit: 'My name is Mandy and I enjoy colouring books!'
LOL Mandy. Love it!
DeleteI am glad you are proud of who you are Mandy :-)
DeleteI've seen the adult colouring book craze take off but have yet to dip my toes into its soothing waters. But after buying a couple of them (Christian themed ones I found on-line) to give away as gifts, I'm sorely tempted to have a go myself! Anything (safe and legal of course) which allows creativity to be unleashed, rests an over-active mind and allows inspiration to simmer slowly beneath the surface has to be a good thing for writers, yes? Thanks, Wendy. :) x
ReplyDeleteGo for it Clare. You'll love it :-)
DeleteI bought my daughter (who did Japanese Studies at uni) a Japanese-pattern adult colouring book for her birthday. She was so pleased with it! I used to do 'DoodleArt' posters as a kid - does anyone remember these? They were enormous, dining-table-sized posters which the whole family could colour in. My Granddad always had one waiting for us when we visited.
ReplyDeleteI remember those Fran. I loved them. So much fun and took forever to do
DeleteI've just started to use colouring books. I find it helpful. I put on worship music, and then colour in for a while.It really does relax me and help me to wind down from work.
ReplyDeleteIt Si very relaxing Lynda, and frees the mind
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I love how you use colouring to calm your mind :) I used to do painting by numbers as a child. Do you remember that?! I do find, these days, that my mind is calming down a bit - perhaps it's to do with having grown up children and the house being quieter? But, after a busy day at work, colouring may be quite the thing. Thank you. Must look into it :)
ReplyDeleteI loved painting by numbers as a child. Hope you enjoy the colouring.
DeleteI've never been any good with my hands, sadly. My quiet-inducing ploy is going for a walk in the countryside or country park. Music can come through my Ipod if I want it although the sounds of the birds, the wind and the burn are often enough.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds idyllic Fran. Country sounds are very relaxing
DeleteI like the idea of adult colouring books - I did some colouring in a mental health support group the other week - but I must admit it somewhat reminds me of the 'painting by numbers' craze that was around when I was a teenager!
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit like pinging by numbers Veronica but a lot less prescriptive. It is very intricate and takes time and patience. The pictures in the books I have are patterns rather than pictures
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