Road Trips and Writing

I was in Florida for a long weekend, visited with friends, flew home, grabbed a quick dinner, then hopped in my car and drove 4.5 hours to Traverse City. All in one day. It ended up being dark and rainy most of my trip, which is not my favorite thing to drive in, especially during a Michigan winter. Yes, it was icy, and there were no lights on the winding country roads. Yes, I have old eyes and hate driving in the dark. And to add to the excitement (right at the end of my trip, just as my eyes were getting heavy), a deer darted across my path on a lonely northern road. Good thing I had taken my blood pressure meds! To be fair, it probably happened at a good time since I was pretty damn tired. I always honk now when I see a deer cross, since they aren’t typically alone and I want to warn her friends (or babies) that I’m coming through. It also warned the car riding my bumper that I wasn’t driving slowly on purpose, which had them backing off shortly after. Win, Win.

So, what does this have to do with writing, you might ask. Well, a lot in my opinion. I would argue that here we are now… me writing about my experience and you reading it. For me, though, it is so much more than that. Traveling serves two purposes for me as a writer. It allows me to 1) Fill the Well of Inspiration, and 2) Purge Under Pressure, both things I have found are key to my ability to write my stories. Let me explain…

Fill The Well Of Inspiration

So this one is pretty much what it sounds like. I go out, do fun things, and put a pin in the experience. I might be on a beach watching a sunset in silence, or chatting about tiny pink elephants on the rim of a cocktail with fruit slices, or listening to an audio book from my TBR on a long trip to Traverse City. I am in the moment, but I am also absorbing the experience and putting things I notice into memory. I make sure my thoughts get written either in my phone, texted to a friend, or emailed to myself perhaps by sharing a website. In this way I leave myself breadcrumbs, so I can find my way back to the idea at the end of my journey.

Inspiration is all around us, every moment of the day, and I find when I am tapped into it in the middle of a writing project, the messages that come to me are timely and meaningful, but not always convenient. I have learned to notice them, write them down, then get on with my journey. Writing them down is key, since if I don’t, the thought or message goes on its merry way and is lost to me forever. Elizabeth Gilbert references this as “catching the tiger by the tail” in her book Big Magic, and I can’t help but appreciate the perfect description of the illusive nature of the creative process. This was the book I listened to as I traveled to and from Traverse City, and if you haven’t read it, I highly recommend the audio version which is read by the author. So good!

I spent time in Traverse City at a conference for work and while I was there for “paycheck job” duties, the creative in me couldn’t help but find messages and inspiration by way of the speakers I listened to on a variety of topics. I was actively taking notes, my mind fully in the moment, but I couldn’t help but think that many of the quotes I noted pertained to my journey as an author. Here are a few:

“The key to happiness = Say the Yes.” and “Every master was once a disaster.” – Kenyon Salo

“Better input, better output.” – RaRa Recreation

“Focus on the Gap!” – Lori Irwin

I would argue that all of these quotes made in sessions that were speaking about Success Paths, Using AI as a tool for Parks & Recreation, and Writing Grants, applied directly to the project I am currently in the middle of. While I found tons of inspiration from the speakers in the time I was in the Parks & Recreation world, it was the downtime I most looked forward to so I could channel the inspiration in the moments in between. It allowed me to talk to my Muse and ask her what she thought about the things she heard. She agrees with Mr. Salo by the way… she wants me to say “Yes” to myself a little more often.

Purge Under Pressure

I had stalled on this project, partially to get other things done, but mainly because I wasn’t sure where it was heading. I’m doing something a little differently with this book in that I’m writing the scenes that excite me first, then plan to work them in like a puzzle piece along the way. I am 12 books into my career and am a linear writer. I stall until I know where I’m going and then I continue when I figure it out. Writing out of order has never been my thing… but Ms. Irwin has me thinking about my project in a whole new way. I focused on the gap and realized that I needed to understand where my character comes from and what makes her who she is. I have been working on that scene ever since and I’m purging the words onto the page.

Giving myself a limited amount of time to write is good for me once I know where I am heading. It is amazing to me just how many pages I cranked out during a lunchtime, or right before bed. I was even writing on the plane, which gave me over 2 hours to get things rolling. Over the years, sprints have found their way into my habit, and I have to say that if I know the general direction I’m writing in, they can be super effective. What helps with that is planning the day before what you will need to write.

I also like to dictate notes on my phone. I find it helps keep my brain on track as I work through the issues of my story. The quote by the RaRa Recreation group came to play here, where I get my jumbled thoughts down in any way I can, then only use the ones that make sense when I finally sit down to write. It is my way of funneling the input and only using the most meaningful items in my output. I’ve learned a lot about my particular process, but I am in no way an expert. I love to try new things to see if I can do something better or more efficiently, it’s sort of game I play with myself. I’m hoping that writing my book like a puzzle works for me moving forward, especially since the Muse is tossing more ideas at me than I can handle right now. My well is truly overflowing, and the feeling is energizing!

Back to Reality (Almost)

After the conference, I got back on the road, which allowed me to finish the audio book I had in my queue, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Even though I have read it and a signed copy sits on my shelf at home, the message is always welcome. I saw her speak when this book came out and it was life-altering for a creative! I could use a little of her insight right now to ground me in my current project. I think this is a much better use of my time than attempting to dictate a scene as I drive, but I wouldn’t hesitate to pull over should inspiration strike!

The other thing I like to do on road trips is drop a signed copy of one of my titles off in a Free Little Library as I travel. I visited Higher Self Bookstore in Traverse City before I got on the road, so popped by one of the area’s Free Little Library locations there to drop off a copy of my Goddesses In Love Collection I brought with me. As you can see in the picture I scored a Stephen King book while I was there which happened to be on my TBR! We have several in Michigan and I have picked up and dropped off some amazing titles through this program. I love leaving copies of my books in them!

Right before returning to reality, I have a writing retreat scheduled with three full days planned with my story. With all the inspiration gathered from my recent trips, I am so ready to incorporate the 15 pages of hand written scenes into my WIP. The story is definitely flowing now and with the added inspiration from Ms. Gilbert’s words in my car ride back home, I’m ready to get a sizeable chunk done while with my writer friends. It is always special getting away with other writers… when you are stumped, a quick brainstorming session is enough to get you back on track. My Muse has been a little salty that I haven’t devoted any time to this project until now, but this should calm her down a bit since I seem to be on a roll. Perhaps that was how it was supposed to be, since it is all but pouring out now.

I suppose what this all means to me is that writing doesn’t always have to be writing… and that if you aren’t a writer who can write every day, don’t sweat it. Review your process, think about the things that motivate you to put words on the page, and use whatever tools help you, no matter who has an opinion otherwise. The journey is your own, and you are the best one to determine which path to take. The road you are on can always change. I would even argue it should. But the off-road travels can be the most rewarding, which will translate into an amazing story for your readers to fall in love with. So, thank you for traveling with me… and I will see you between the pages of my next book!

As always, thank you for sharing this journey with me, and for taking the time out of your day to read my thoughts. It means a lot. For anyone interested in my writing please feel free to stay awhile and poke around on my website. I have a ton of content I’ve been developing over the years and I would love to get your thoughts on it.

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