The Forest
19 May 2021
Photos
Not a place you can sit down and write – but a place to find secrets in your subconscious and tricks up your emotional sleeves you didn’t know you had. There is the old story about a famous painter, observed by his neighbor as he was sunbathing and lazing about the backyard. “Hello, Mr Painter. Are you resting?” She asked. “No,” he said, “working.” Later, passing again, she noticed the old man brushing industriously on a canvas. “Hi, Mr Painter. Are you working?” “No,” he said, “Resting.” There is always more to the writing process than meets the eye, and there are levels that can’t be captured or described. Stephen King calls it handing your story over to ‘the boys in the basement’. Bottom line is, there are conscious processes at work – and unconscious ones. Walking lets me take care of the subconscious ones, and it gives me pretty sights, some cardio, some fresh air and tons of inspiration. #PlacesThatInspireMe #NotAWritingSpaceButStillAtWork

Peter van der Walt is a fiction author, although you may find some non-fiction and the odd essay out there. Fans can find his newsletter, posts, updates and developments at petervanderwalt.com. Currently, he is hard at work on his next story. When not writing, he has far too many interests to reasonably keep up with. He lives with his partner in Devon, England.