I’ve discovered a new way to write. I start as soon as I set foot in the elevator and I continue until I’ve crossed the threshold of my office door. Nothing can stop the creative flow from invading my thoughts. I play some music on my Ipod and I shut myself down to the outside world. My weapon of choice to draft the next chapter of my novel has become my phone. I take my Blackberry out of the holster and I start typing. I’m like a freak. I don’t look up, I don’t hold onto anything, I just ride the subway and write, walk and write, halt at the crosswalk and write, and for thirty to forty minutes each morning and each evening, I reach an absolute level of concentration that is hard to beat otherwise.
I can’t write at home anymore because I feel too distracted. There are my cats, the TV, and my bed where I love to take naps… I can’t focus properly. I need to be in an hostile environment for my imagination to work well. I don’t talk to people. I don’t listen to the train announcements. I feel like my body reacts like a robot while my mind travels to a beautiful place filled with genius sparks. The best ideas come to me while I commute. The best plot twists unravel as the subway moves from station to station and I don’t pay attention to anything else but my writing.
I wonder how much I could achieve if I spent an entire day riding the subway. I’m sure I could write an entire novel if I stayed at the airport or in a train station too. I’ve calculated I type about 5,000 words a week by writing this way. I never thought my phone could be such an amazing tool. I’ve to admit, I’m totally hooked.
The Manicheans 
Just don’t be one of those that get caught on camera walking into a fountain or anything while you’re doing it. Okay? I just moved my trusty laptop into the bedroom to escape the noise of the house in order to catch up on blogging, and you’re escaping into the noise?!? Too funny! Whatever works, right?
Your boy from Cali,
-Jimmy
Hahaha, no walking into a fountain for me! I can write and walk, and still pay attention. It takes skills. LOL Yeah I manage to shut myself down completely when I’m surrounded by people on the subway, it’s pretty incredible. Thx for the comments as always!
Writing on the phone is definitely something that I have enjoyed about my smart phones.
While I have to limit myself to notes, ideas or random information (don’t have a lot of time to write and when I do I have my computer handy), there are some great apps that make life easier for the smartphone carrying writers.
I actually had a blog post about it a few months ago, listing some of the top apps. Unfortunately I excluded BB (never had one, they’re not nearly as popular anymore.)
I love Evernote, I keep a collection of my story ideas, changes and random concepts saved and sync’d.
Yeah what I like about the BB is that I can type a whole chapter as an email to myself, and it makes my writing so much smoother and easier. Love it! I couldn’t quite do that with the Iphone. The touchscreen isn’t my thing.
Be careful! We’ve had two cases of people walking into trains lately, lost in their hand helds.
One of them was killed.
I’ll be careful. I usually try to pay attention where I walk… 😉
It’s cool that you can do that. My fingers are too blunt to type properly on my phone, and I just end up stabbing out an incomprehensible mess. And with my luck, accidentally emailed it to everyone in my contact list, with the photo of my feet that I just inadvertently snapped attached.
Ha, well, like I said, I’m one of the few who fell in love with my BB simply because it makes my commute much easier. And I have tiny fingers. LOL