How Water Affects Your Creativity and Your Writing

Have you ever thought about the effect that water might have on your creativity? Or noticed the way that your writing flows better when you’re near water, watching as your words tumble and flow onto the page? If you’re anything like me you might have noticed it subconsciously or intuitively. I tend to feel more creative when Im walking near water, even if it’s the quiet urban canal near where I live in Edinburgh.

But it’s definitely more inspiring when I’m out and about near moving water: watching a waterfall, walking along the shore watching the waves roll in or sitting by a harbor and watching the movement of people, water, and boats.

Henriette Anne Klauser in Write It Down, Make It Happen suggests changing your environment and getting near water to write.

Being near water, especially moving water, gets ideas to flow Streams, showers and waterfalls stimulate creativity. To create aha! moments in your life, to capture and expand your insights, for inspiration about the shape of your dreams, get near water, especially moving water.

Going across water, especially by ferry, has a similar effect for me: waking me up and signaling that I’ve moved to a different place, not just geographically but the way things feel and the way my creativity starts to flow.