..traveler's aid for writers

traveling is cool! i haven't been many places...a few states, Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas. my brother, Sebastian, is travel crazy. he's been all over the world. right now he's living with the locals in a stilt village and fishing in the Strait of Malacca off the coast of Penang, Malaysia. he has tons of colorful stories to tell. i think he'd agree with Ibn Battuta..."Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a story teller."

writing is storytelling and travel is full of new and different experiences that can make you a better storyteller. travel can be an unexpected and surprising aid for writers. it gets  us out of our comfort zone, our own backyard, and takes our mind and imagination in an entirely different direction. travel opens up a whole new world of possibilities - new ideas, plots, settings, characters, etc. it's also a cool way to deal with writer's block.

St. Augustine said, "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." when we travel, our world changes. we open ourselves up to new experiences, meet new people, hear new sounds, learn new words, see new sights, eat different foods, solve new problems and learn about different cultures. if we allow ourselves to be open and unbiased, our travel experience will cause us to see the world in a new and different way and that will make us better writers.

seeing things with a traveler's eye can change the way we see things and the way we write. Samuel Johnson said, "The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are." experiencing things as they are, up close and personal, excites the senses and stimulates the mind and imagination. ordinary thoughts take on a deeper and more powerful meaning. this results in writing with more sensitivity. descriptions and emotions will become vivid and real and will bounce off the page.

the benefits of travel, plus a healthy dose of reality can work together to improve basic writing skills, enhance style, heighten sense of voice and give us a new sense of ourselves as writers. the many benefits gained from our travel experiences will improve our writing and renew our dedication to the craft. Seneca said, "Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind."

Mark Twain once said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

TRAVEL! 

have a good trip!

…have fun and be happy!