Michael Potts's Blog: Bits and Pieces: Book Reviews and Articles on Writing, Horror Fiction, and Some Philosophy - Posts Tagged "travel"

How can someone who travels often due to a job or some other good reason find time to write? There are times in which I do a great deal of travel, and in months with two conferences, that can take eight days out of the month. Some people travel more often than that. How can a frequent traveler find more writing time?

If you fly, the situation is easier than when you are driving a vehicle. On long flights, if you own a laptop, you can work on it during the time (most of the flight) when laptop use is permitted. If you are not in first class or business class, this may be uncomfortable, and if you are not good at tuning out distractions, it may be difficult. If you do not own or do not like to use a laptop on a plane, write on a legal pad. Poems, story sketches, the beginnings of stories, an initial outline for a book or a screenplay--these can all be written down on a legal pad. You can return to your work later if you have a break in your hotel room. I am most effective at writing poetry on the run, and unless I am writing a long poem, I can usually have first drafts of several poems completed by the end of the trip.

If you are a passenger in a vehicle, the medium you use to write depends on the available vehicle space. In some vehicles you may be able to work on a laptop; in others, a legal pad is best. If you are in a cab for a long ride and can stand the multiple fast turns, you can write there. If you get car sick and you have a tolerant driver, you can bring a digital voice recorder or tape recorder and record your ideas in a voice medium. If you are the driver and can safely pull over when that idea that seems brilliant pops into your mind, do it. I have a DVR in my car, and have spoken poems or story ideas--or even academic paper ideas--into the DVR during traffic jams in which the traffic is at a complete stop (especially when the police have blocked traffic due to an accident). Pay sufficient attention to the road, though, to know when traffic starts again. Someone behind you will be sure to let you know if you failt to move, but a careless driver could run into the rear of your vehicle. I find that glancing at scenery, especially in rural areas, stimulates ideas. If you are working on a longer work, follow the habit of stopping a sentence in the middle so you can re-read and begin again where you left off. There used to be scenic train rides for writers who wanted to allow the view outside to inspire their writing. Breaks on a cruise ship can also be used for writing--plus the sights you see can inspire ideas for stories and poems.

Any writer can adjust to the circumstances of travel--it takes discipline, but so does writing in a quiet room on a retreat. Good writing can be accomplished despite a busy schedule of travel.