Travel Writer by Donna

The Muses have a monthly schedule we mostly follow. The first week of the month is a time to talk about books we've been reading and the second week of the month is something we call All About Me. Other weeks are left to discuss a wide variety of themes we are thinking about and topics that our readers suggest. The All About Me week, however, is always one of my favorites. It's a time for us to just get a little personal with our writing (and life) struggles.

Lately I've been traveling a lot for my job. A couple of weeks ago I was in Los Angeles, today I'm writing this from New Orleans, in a couple of weeks from now I'll be back in LA and then to DC after that. There are some thing I definitely love about traveling for business:

* The coffee that's delivered to your door with a quiet knock at the designated time
* The crisp, white sheets and tons of pillows that I don't have to change
* Not having to fight for space in a king sized bed with two chocolate labs and a cat that likes to do that kneading thing with his claws on my legs at 2 am
* The wide variety of foods and drinks (especially here in New Orleans)
* A huge variety of character and setting descriptions ( I just stopped writing this to go to my hotel window and watch a jazz band lead a wedding parade down my French Quarter street)
* The fact I don't pay for any of it :)

But there is also a problem with traveling. Location for me seems to be inexplicably related to writing productivity. I have the delusion I will find little coffee shops tucked away in new cities and write for hours. The truth is I don't get much writing done at all when I am on the road. Maybe it's the change in schedule or the excitement of new places, but I need to be "at home" to be at my writing best. I love bringing all my travels back to my stories, but I need to actually get home to write them. While it is sometimes frustrating, especially when I'm so close to finishing my WIP, understanding my own quirky process has taken years. So tonight I'll try to relax, take in the sights in New Orleans, and jot down some Quick Brief Character Descriptions (believe me, there are LOTS of characters out there tonight). I know it'll all be there for me, germinating inside my mind, for when I get home and back to writing.