Ten Tips for the Traveling Writer

I hope the past few posts inspired you to mine your travel experiences for writing inspiration. If so, here are a few tips for getting the most writing benefit from your next trip:

1. Collect character ideas. Keep your eyes open for interesting characters in the airport, on the street, on the tour bus--and take notes. Travel lets you do more people-watching in an afternoon than most of us do in a week. Take advantage of it!


2. Collect stories. Gather the tales of those you meet to weave into your own storytelling. (And thanks, Omar & Rosi, for the tale of a llama named Checho....)


3. Collect nonfiction article/book ideas. As you meet new people and places, keep your eyes and ears open for things that will interest a child, such as cultural differences and cool science facts.


4. Collect setting details. When you travel to a new city, climate, or country, take note of the things that are different. Pay special attention to sensory details, what you smell, taste, hear, and feel, as well as what you see.


5. Collect "what ifs?" Travel puts you in new situations as well as well as in new places. Use the opportunity to imagine new plot twists and conflicts. Maybe one will spark your next story!

Travel usually means very full days with little time to write, so don't take along big projects! Instead, plan and prepare for small blocks of time with purse-sized notebooks, airplane-safe pens, and a journal or three for end-of-day notes. With a little preparation, you will return with a wealth of writing inspiration.

:) Cheryl