The place where I always write is at my little wooden desk sitting on my non-ergonomic chair.
However, when it comes to streets, I think my favourite is High Street, in Nelson, BC, Canada, where I used to live.
There are so many wonderful things about it. In this hilly town, it's one of the few streets that runs adjacent to downtown, so hills can be avoided between home and town. It's also beautiful, with many different kinds of trees lining it. And there are people of mixed incomes, so is non-homogenous. There's even a house that is shaped like a boat with gargoyle on top of it.
It's the preferred walking route from Fairview to downtown, so it's a great place to run into people.
I used to look up from my desk out my front window and see who was walking by on High Street, and I miss that view.
Wonderful, Yasmin. I want to get my hands on this book! Well, both of them.
I use place a lot in my writing. I also draw on Benjamin's Arcades Projects in my thoughts about this, even though I'm talking about my fiction writing. Thanks for sharing with us.
When I read, I am often caught by writers who actively use real places in a very specific way, naming streets, using neighbourhoods and their qualities. This quality of being caught leads me very quickly into the story in a deeper way than where that isn’t a main feature of the writing. It happens, as in your example of Maxwell Street, in non fiction; but, it is most effective - for me - in fiction.
I think it is the curious quality of the writer combining the fictional world they create with the factual world of the place in which they set it. When that’s combined with the writer’s ability to bring weather, for example, into the work it is very powerful. Barbara Vine, to name just one of many writers who seem to have an intrinsic grasp of this (actually, I could name several who really touch me in this regard) does this very eloquently in her novels.
When I write, and I make no claim to be Barbara Vine, this quality is very important for me. I think it is, perhaps, something to do with frequency: thinking of how to recreate a street, an area, in words helps me tune in to the frequency of the story I’m writing…when I can actually see the characters in the real location, I find the frequency becomes clearer and entering something like a flow state more possible.
I'm reminded very much of the markets in Asia that supply all manner of goods, sadly, many have disappeared due to district gentrification - similarly, the street eateries and hawker areas. Of course, and against the odds, some still function, we just have to look a little harder to find them.
Where do I start! Well to begin with I will try and find that book! It sounds like something I would enjoy. Like I enjoy your "Place writing". I am not a writer, but I do ART and quite a lot of collage!
Interesting Yasmin. Haven't read Maxwell street but have read Tim's creative writing PhD about what he terms topo-poetics or topo-poesis accompanying a collection of place-based poetry and heard him talk at a conference in late 22. I'm hoping there'll be a book out soon that Tim will be writing an afterword for and which I have am abridged version of my methodology from my PhD commentary in! I'm a fan of the way Tim blends geography with creative writing, anyway, but not read this. I guess I try to incorporate geography and anthropology into my writing so his work has a natural draw for me. I'm currently working on a community mapping project - also blends creative and academic approaches to place but haven't decided if I'm going to write from it yet. I think there's a writing project in it though, certainly of the kind you describe here. Early days. Still reeling from the PhD! Are you working on anything new?
Fascinating to think about this bricolage method to place writing. My library has a copy of this book and I've got to take a look now. Thanks for the reference.
The place where I always write is at my little wooden desk sitting on my non-ergonomic chair.
However, when it comes to streets, I think my favourite is High Street, in Nelson, BC, Canada, where I used to live.
There are so many wonderful things about it. In this hilly town, it's one of the few streets that runs adjacent to downtown, so hills can be avoided between home and town. It's also beautiful, with many different kinds of trees lining it. And there are people of mixed incomes, so is non-homogenous. There's even a house that is shaped like a boat with gargoyle on top of it.
It's the preferred walking route from Fairview to downtown, so it's a great place to run into people.
I used to look up from my desk out my front window and see who was walking by on High Street, and I miss that view.
Wonderful, Yasmin. I want to get my hands on this book! Well, both of them.
I use place a lot in my writing. I also draw on Benjamin's Arcades Projects in my thoughts about this, even though I'm talking about my fiction writing. Thanks for sharing with us.
Hey, thank you for this.
When I read, I am often caught by writers who actively use real places in a very specific way, naming streets, using neighbourhoods and their qualities. This quality of being caught leads me very quickly into the story in a deeper way than where that isn’t a main feature of the writing. It happens, as in your example of Maxwell Street, in non fiction; but, it is most effective - for me - in fiction.
I think it is the curious quality of the writer combining the fictional world they create with the factual world of the place in which they set it. When that’s combined with the writer’s ability to bring weather, for example, into the work it is very powerful. Barbara Vine, to name just one of many writers who seem to have an intrinsic grasp of this (actually, I could name several who really touch me in this regard) does this very eloquently in her novels.
When I write, and I make no claim to be Barbara Vine, this quality is very important for me. I think it is, perhaps, something to do with frequency: thinking of how to recreate a street, an area, in words helps me tune in to the frequency of the story I’m writing…when I can actually see the characters in the real location, I find the frequency becomes clearer and entering something like a flow state more possible.
I'm reminded very much of the markets in Asia that supply all manner of goods, sadly, many have disappeared due to district gentrification - similarly, the street eateries and hawker areas. Of course, and against the odds, some still function, we just have to look a little harder to find them.
Where do I start! Well to begin with I will try and find that book! It sounds like something I would enjoy. Like I enjoy your "Place writing". I am not a writer, but I do ART and quite a lot of collage!
Love the idea of a book about a street! Portobello Road in London would be my choice. ✨
Interesting Yasmin. Haven't read Maxwell street but have read Tim's creative writing PhD about what he terms topo-poetics or topo-poesis accompanying a collection of place-based poetry and heard him talk at a conference in late 22. I'm hoping there'll be a book out soon that Tim will be writing an afterword for and which I have am abridged version of my methodology from my PhD commentary in! I'm a fan of the way Tim blends geography with creative writing, anyway, but not read this. I guess I try to incorporate geography and anthropology into my writing so his work has a natural draw for me. I'm currently working on a community mapping project - also blends creative and academic approaches to place but haven't decided if I'm going to write from it yet. I think there's a writing project in it though, certainly of the kind you describe here. Early days. Still reeling from the PhD! Are you working on anything new?
Fascinating to think about this bricolage method to place writing. My library has a copy of this book and I've got to take a look now. Thanks for the reference.
Many thanks for your re-stack Greg!
Thank you for your re-stack, Jeanine!