Writing is a lot like a faithful dog—and here’s how

Even the striking beauty of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, couldn’t keep Rebecca Longman from wandering away. To London she went, where she dubbed herself the “Adopted Londoner,” but even that moniker is wearing out its welcome as she gets her bearings in her newest hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. Luckily, getting her bearings involves one of her favorite activities: walking.

Even in her adopted city, she’ll opt to proceed on foot over hopping aboard the iconic London Tube, as she explains in one of her articles. “My mode of choice?” she opines. “The two assets I was given at birth, that often I think people forget they have. I have abandoned the trusty tube in all but essential situations. Now, I walk.”

You can even tell this born explorer that she can’t work for almost six weeks—that’s how long she had to wait for her work permit when she moved here—but you won’t catch Rebecca sitting in front of her TV. Nope, she’s out hoofing it around town, exploring her new surroundings—and drinking tons of coffee in the process.

I can’t figure out if Rebecca spends more time walking or writing, because her blog is jam-packed with musings and observations about “sights, smells and sounds as I explore the world through words and pictures.” One thing is for sure, though: she doesn’t call her blog “City Girl Walking” for nothing!

Speaking of pictures, here’s one she shared with us, along with her thoughts about what inspires her to write, and how she finds perfection in the imperfect.

What inspires you to write? Enter the inspiration contest today and you could be featured here!

Photo credit: Rebecca Longman

Rebecca’s two cents:

What inspires my writing? Anything that knocks me off my perch. I write most freely when I feel a little bit uneasy. In the last year I have started a freelance consultancy business, got married and moved to the States from the UK. I’ve written more in the last year than I ever have. Whenever I need to express what I’m feeling, writing is my consistent friend. It’s like having a dog; it doesn’t answer back, it’s always there to greet me after a hard day, and it never fails to make me feel brighter.

The above photo is one of the first photographs I took when I moved across the pond. With its stony beach and rugged landscape, it inspires me to see the beauty in anything that isn’t perfect.

Indeed, Rebecca—if only we could all do that.

Be sure to check out Rebecca’s blog, City Girl Walking. And then tell me what inspires your writing, and the next article may just be about you.

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