For me, writing isn’t so much a career, or even a dream, as it is a way of life. I interpret nearly everything through words and stories, and have for as long as I can remember. As a kid, after a trip to visit my grandparents in Illinois, or my other grandparents in North Carolina, I found that the stories I made up had greater flair, better settings, and more interesting characters. For anyone who writes (or creates art of any kind), here are five ways that travel can give you a boost:
The change of scenery makes you more aware of details. When I travel, I do a lot of the same things I do at home, but they have a whole new light when I’m in another state. Washing dishes, taking a walk or even reading a book take on new significance, prompting me to see them in a different way.
You get to explore new settings. From the moss-soaked forests of the Northwest to the Medieval cities of Germany, the settings I’ve experienced have brought my imagination to life. Every place you go has a new story to tell.
You gain life experience. Thanks to my travels, I know how to grow an organic garden, raise chickens and goats, stay safe in a city, and meet new people. I’ve experienced so many different things that float in the back of my mind, waiting to be transferred to paper, from bike-riding in the Netherlands to hiking in the Everglades. These experiences have helped shape who I am, and therefore how I write.
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| I do spend a lot of time on my computer when I'm on the road… but that's because tutoring is my day job. |
You refresh yourself. Everyone feels burnt out sometimes, and traveling is one of the best ways to help you renew your energy and focus. With the right attitude, you can return from a trip readier than ever to tackle your writing process.
You meet people who change your perspective. This is my favorite part of travel, and it has made my writing so much richer. Through my travels, I’ve met and spent time with anarchists, social evolutionists, hippies, street preachers, pot-smokers, conspiracy theorists, Mormons, world travelers, organic farmers, seafaring hippies, members of the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, and many more. Each one of them has challenged and deepened my understanding of the world, giving me a well of experience to draw from.
On the other hand, though, travel is not a magic wand that instantly makes you able to write. In fact, when I’m on the road, my blog is the only writing I can ever manage to get done. Here are three reasons it’s better to write from home:
When you travel, you should be focusing on experience rather than writing. Whether or not you’re crunched for time, you should try to make the most of your trip. Why spend all the time and money to travel somewhere new, and then spend the whole time staring at words on your computer? Chop wood, volunteer, take a beach walk, visit a museum, share a meal, meet new people… and do the bulk of your writing when you get home.
99% of the time, the greatest trials you have to face are at home. I hiked the Angel’s Landing trail in Zion Canyon, with narrow and uncertain footing and a thousand-foot drop on each side— was this the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced? Certainly not. You know what was? When my mom was going on week four in the hospital with an unknown surgery complication that nearly took her life, I opened my eyes each morning, and then I got up. That was exponentially harder. Trips stretch you and open your mind, but it’s the nonstop trials and grief of everyday life that build wisdom.
If you don’t write now, taking a trip will not help you write. “Someday,” people say with a dreamy-eyed expression, “I’m going to go take a few months and just live in a cabin and write my novel.” That’s the kiss of death. If you aren’t writing a novel right now, you’re not going to no matter how inspiring your destination is. The routine of everyday life is the best place for art to flourish, rather than a solitary, out-of-the-ordinary existence where all you can do is sit and try to think deep thoughts.
In short, if you can take a trip, use it to enrich your life. If you can’t, don’t use that lack of experience as an excuse not to write. As with most things, you need balance. To me, travel is all about experience— this is essential to writing, but a trip is not the only way to find it.
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