Kathleen Winter, author of Boundless, on walking and writing

When Montreal writer Kathleen Winter finished her award-winning novel, Annabel, she says her legs felt like "planks of rotten wood."

She'd been sitting intent on her writing for so long she says she'd lost her ability to climb stairs.

In an essay published on the Quebec Writers' Federation blog, Winter describes how she took up walking along the St. Lawrence River as an antidote to the stiffness in her legs.

Those long walks also showed Winter how much creative inspiration she gained from that daily contact with nature.

Winter is nominated for the RBC Taylor Prize for her latest book, Boundless.The prize is awarded in Toronto tonight, March 2nd.

Kathleen Winter spoke to Cinq à six host Jeanette Kelly about walking, writing and the trip through the North West Passage following the route of the Franklin Expedition that inspired Boundless.

Click on the audio link to listen to the full conversation.