This was in a book supplement from The Observer last Sun:

'Some go to extremes to find the perfect envornment in which to write. When faced with writer's block, Victor Hugo, the author of Les Miserables and the Hunchback of Notre Dame, disrobed. He had his servant take his clothes away for the day, leaving him with only pen and paper so he'd have nothing to do but sit down and write. DH Lawrence took the idea to an extreme: he'd climb mulberry trees in the nude, finding the rough bark stimulating...'

So there we go! The answer!

Look out suburban Manchester - here we go!!!!

Thank goodness for wireless broadband...

I have an image of the trees at uni being full of naked postgrads like those kids in sound of music. Ooh, I would most like captain von trapp to sing me down from my tree! hehe.

"He had his servant take his clothes away for the day, leaving him with only pen and paper so he'd have nothing to do but sit down and write."

Clearly he didn't have the procrastinating skills of a PhD student...noughts and crosses, origami, doodling...the possibilities are endless!

Yeah, I don't think many people would think that being naked was necessarily a barrier to having fun...

I spend most of my time these days working in my PJs - does that count?

If they make you feel inspired... why not?!

x

Ps. if they do, can I ask where you got them?!

Bernard Manning (not that I'm equating him with you, or vice-versa) used to like to compose his 'stage act' while walking around the house in nothing but his boxers. Maybe food for thought for those struggling a little with their work.

my biology teacher at school took part in an experiment whilst writing up his phd thesis: he was locked into an underground bunker for 6 months, without daylight, radio, tv, papers etc for research on biorhythms. he said it was fantastic - he got paid for writing up his thesis and he had no way of procrastinating...

lol, swantje, that's funny. gives a whole new meaning to the idea that you "don't have a life" during write-up...