On Recreating the Shower Creativity Surge (minus water)
Filed Under: My Writing, Speculative Fiction
I know I am not the only writer who finds that inpiration oftens strikes in the bath. I’ve had a number of conversations with fellow writers about how strange it seems that some of our best ideas come to us at that moment. I can think of a couple of theories as to why this happens:
- The time of the day that you shower is particularly condusive to creative thinking. I shower first thing in the morning, and I know my creative brain is a little bit stronger when the analytical brain is still swiping away the previous night’s cobwebs and puzzling over what the hell those rabbits on stilts were doing in that last dream.
- The white noise sound generated by the shower puts us into a particular brain wave state or something.
- The absence of distraction from electronics and media and everything allows us to actually think freely. Personally, it is the only time in the day that I am not interacting with some kind of electronic device. If I’m not on the computer, I’m watching TV, or reading a book, and my iPhone is never more than a reach away. Basically, distractions abound.
It is hard to say which of these three aspects are most directly responsible for that creative burst, so I am going to try and recreate the experience with a few modifications to make it easier to actually capture the ideas that come from it. One of the biggest problems i have with having inspiriation then is that I can’t remember it long enough to get it down on the computer or paper. Someone suggested putting in some kind of markers or bathroom crayons in the tub so that you can write it out on the wall, but as I rent, I don’t want to deal with any potential disasters there. So:
- Roll out of bed first thing and into the office. Turn on a white noise generating program, or a long recording of rain.
- Turn off the internet connection. Load up a full screen wordprocessor
- See what happens.
I will be attempting this experiment in the next couple of weeks, and will report back when I’ve gathered enough data to determine whether it’s helpful. If you want to join in, please do so. More people attempting to do this could result in a better perspective on the phenomenon.
Comments
05-26-2009
I was going to say that I think you can to a large extent eliminate the white noise as a factor. I, too, find a lot of inspiration in the shower in the morning, or even in the evening. I’m totally deaf, so obviously the white noise isn’t a factor. However, thinking it over, I wonder if the white noise is a way of isolating you from hearing other people in the house, the phone ringing, stuff like that? The only problem with that, though, is that as I understand it you can still hear the phone ring in the shower. So, maybe my original thought is still valid, just not for the reason I thought. In that case, perhaps it’s more the fact you’re more isolated as in stuff being accessible and not quite awake yet than the actual noise and such? Sensory deprivation of a limited sort?
Now I’m curious.
05-27-2009
Bill,
(Sorry it took me so long to reply to this).
Some great thoughts there. You’re probably right that the white noise isn’t the primary factor. It might contribute a bit, but it’s certainly not necessary. Hmm.
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