The Subtle Art of Writing on the Road

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”

Jack Kerouac

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Here I am, miles of highway stretching before me and even more miles behind. Just me and Rory, on our way to our next adventure. So what do I do? Explore the subtle art of writing on the road. 

I love driving. I always have, especially the last few years. By both choice and necessity, cross-country road trips have become a staple in my life. From the epic scenery of the South Dakota Badlands, to the seemingly endless expanse of the Midwest, and now on to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, the tendrils of cloud interweaving among flattened tops of this ancient mountain range. I’ve always marveled at the beauty of this country. The act of driving is meditative for me, a ritualized experience, that I definitely needed before jumping into my next clinical rotation. As I stare at the road stretching before us, my mind flits between medicine, books and writing, art, and thoughts of friends and family left behind.

Every trip is a new adventure, but some things remain constant. Which brings us to the subject of today’s post: my list of cross-country road tripping essentials for the creative in all of us. 

1) A Good Dictation App

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Dictation has been a game changer for me when it comes to harnessing hidden moments to articulate creative thoughts. There’s nothing like telling a story out loud to get you excited about a plot, nothing like jumping between accents to make you really hear your characters’ voices. They don’t have to be good accents mind you. Listening back to recordings of your terrible accents is half the fun after all. 

It can be hard to jump into, I’ll grant you. But once you get started, there’s something about the words that can’t help but just flow. So every day, I’d line up my dictation app, start the mic, and just let it go, using the scenery around me as a guide as I wove together some of the most outlandish tales you’ve ever heard. Most will likely never see the light of day, but it helps to pass the time, and keeps me in a creative mood. It also trains my ear to the audio format. And as I mentioned before, it’s a tool that I’m always hoping to get better at it. So it’s always good practice for me to spend time telling stories that no one will ever read, but recording them nonetheless.

2) My Best PawFriend

Ok, ok, this one may just be for me. But I really do do so me of my best writing on road trips. Something about the passing of scenery and the steady rhythmi sounds of the highway passing under our wheels, but it just gets me going! And who better to listen to me spin my wild tales of fantasy, magic, swordfighting, and love then my best pawfriend Rory. 

She’s such a trooper this one. Endless days of being cooped up in a car, and she’s content to just curl up in her little doggie bed in the passenger seat, watching the scener flit by, eased into slumber by the car’s vibrations and my stories. From hotel room to hotel room, drive-thru to curbside diner pickup, Rory’s there for it all. Never complaining or criticizing my stories, she’s the best type of audience member, curling up in bed with me at the end of a long day as we both drift off into dreay sleep. Really though, folks, get yourself an Alpha reader like Rory. [image error]