Being an international pilot definitely has its benefits in combining the job and the opportunity to write. Sitting in airports, the commute from Seattle to Detroit and Anchorage, time abroad on layovers, or those middle of the night time zone confusion wake-ups, have enabled me to obtain two masters degrees. This year, however, has brought new challenges, passion, opportunities, and a new set of eyes.
My writing has shifted from technical to fiction. Dressed in black for Delta Airlines, I will be flying the Airbus 330 to Europe instead of the Boeing 744 to Tokyo. And I may get to spend, up to, seventeen fun-filled days in Detroit, on reserve. Reserve: the process of sitting in a hotel room, on your nickel, waiting for someone to call in sick so you can cover their trip. This may appear painful, because it is, but not without opportunity.
I have “decided” to look at this new life as an opportunity to write. Seventeen days in a hotel room without laundry, dishes, cooking, = productivity. And my new set of eyes… They are not the glasses that I undoubtedly need after sitting at my computer for the previous six months, eight hours a day, but the fact I will see my new world differently.
Characters captured in the terminal, the taste of Linda’s air inhaled, education on the history and a sharp eye for Heather’s channelers in Ireland, will remain in focus. Mystery, intrigue, and plots abound.
As writers, we must take advantage of the world we see, feel, taste and experience, even if it’s our own backyard. But if we have the opportunity to travel, make that backyard the world. And remember to bring extra batteries. For your computer, Lela. ;)
Karlene
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