Regular readers here know I pay attention to what’s going on over at Jane Friedman’s blog, and a month or so ago she featured a guest post from writer Nell Boeschenstein called “Why Writers Should Consider the Habits of the Flâneur.”

First I had to look up flâneur, so let’s do. From Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged, then, this:

fla·neur noun \(ˈ)flä¦nər(‧)\
plural -s
: an aimless and usually self-centered and superficial person: such as
a : man-about-town, bon viveur
b : an intellectual trifler
Origin of FLANEUR
French flâneur idler, from Middle French flaneur, from (assumed) Middle French dialect (Normandy) flaner to saunter aimlessly (from Old Norse flana to wander about) + Middle French -eur -or (from Latin -or) — more at flan
First Known Use: 1854

Good to know, yes? And then the article:

Although the wisdom of it took me years to fully appreciate, the best writing tip I ever received branded itself onto my brain when I was an undergraduate studying poetry. One day, my professor—a tall woman with wild hair and a Louisiana accent—happened to mention that her best lines always arrived unexpectedly during walks alone around campus or with her dogs near her house outside of town. These lines rarely, if ever, she said, presented themselves while she was consciously writing. Rather, one minute her mind would be concerned with the grocery list and the next minute a fragment of imagery or insight would float through the antimatter of her brain on its way to oblivion. Ideas, she said, come as quickly as they go. It’s up to you as a writer to catch them while you can. If instead you put it off and vow to record a thought when you get home, nine times out of ten that thought will have dissolved into the ether by the time you remember to try to remember it. In other words, passing thoughts are precious things. I had my doubts. About both the preciousness as well as the possibility that any writing worth keeping could ever arrive or disappear so easily. My memory then was young and ignorant.

Oh, there is so much truth here. (In fact, we’ve talked about it before, here.) Bottom line: get up and walk away from the desk, y’all.

Good article. Read it!

Tweet: Bottom line: get up and walk away from the desk, y’all.
Tweet: Why writers should consider a stroll around the park.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”