Is Where You Write Important?

A trip to the world’s top literary locations gave me the answer

Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, London, and indeed Paris have always been legendary locations to me. Not for their bread, and not because of the Queen. But rather, because of the great literary works that have originated there. There must be some magic in the air in those places that helped so many great writers — Lewis, Tolkien, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Shakespeare and company write such grand array of literature.

It leads me to wonder — does location have a tremendous bearing on writing?

What Struck Me Was the Simplicity

My first gut reaction is that yes, location does affect writing. And I do believe that it does. However, it is more nuanced than needing to flee to Paris in order to begin your writing career. Because the first thing you notice when you visit these places where once great people met and discussed their works is this — the breath has gone out. I mean, whatever magic had been there before, whatever magic that had caused great writers to think great thoughts, has surely been replaced with Shakespeare shakes, Tolkien pies, Hemingway memorabilia, and so-on. No –the magic that allowed these similar, likeminded people to congregate and create is gone now — like the heat from a…