Traveling somewhere new can widen your perspective and spark new ideas, not just in your life but in your writing. Every place I visit is an opportunity for me to study different cultures, traditions, landscapes, and even weather. Each year (finances allowing) I find a writer's retreat or workshop that I feel compelled to attend. I do my best to take in everything I can while I'm on one of these trips. It isn't just about the classroom for me. I like to go out and see the area, listen to the people, feel the climate. I absorb it all and store it away in my mind for later use in writing.
There are a few breathtaking tropical places I've been over the years and they certainly hold a special place in my heart. However, a place doesn't have to be dynamic to be memorable and useful for your writing. A few years ago the Critique Sisters and I attended a writer's workshop in Tulsa Oklahoma. I can hear you all groaning and I know you're wondering, why the heck Tulsa?! Well because that's where the fantastic William Bernhardt holds his yearly classes. Believe me, I wasn't thrilled about the venue either. But I decided to learn what I could, not just from the workshop, but from Tulsa as well.
Oklahoma is somewhere I would never visit without good reason. I'm really glad I had one. There is a lot of great history in Oklahoma. Many of the streets of Tulsa are lined with beautiful brick mansions that harken back to an era when oil was plentiful there. The Kennedy Mansion B&B (no, not those Kennedy's) we stayed in was one such house. Everyone we met was exceedingly kind and while it was windy, the weather was actually pretty mild for us. This year we're planning on our own personal retreat on Maui and I couldn't be more excited. We've opened our arms to new sisters who will be joining us this year too, which is even more exciting!
There are a few breathtaking tropical places I've been over the years and they certainly hold a special place in my heart. However, a place doesn't have to be dynamic to be memorable and useful for your writing. A few years ago the Critique Sisters and I attended a writer's workshop in Tulsa Oklahoma. I can hear you all groaning and I know you're wondering, why the heck Tulsa?! Well because that's where the fantastic William Bernhardt holds his yearly classes. Believe me, I wasn't thrilled about the venue either. But I decided to learn what I could, not just from the workshop, but from Tulsa as well.
Oklahoma is somewhere I would never visit without good reason. I'm really glad I had one. There is a lot of great history in Oklahoma. Many of the streets of Tulsa are lined with beautiful brick mansions that harken back to an era when oil was plentiful there. The Kennedy Mansion B&B (no, not those Kennedy's) we stayed in was one such house. Everyone we met was exceedingly kind and while it was windy, the weather was actually pretty mild for us. This year we're planning on our own personal retreat on Maui and I couldn't be more excited. We've opened our arms to new sisters who will be joining us this year too, which is even more exciting!
No matter where you travel to, even if it's to a local B&B, take it all in because all of it can enrich your writing. Where have you been that's helped your writing in some way?
I'm taking my camera everywhere I travel this year, and will be taking lots of notes, too. LOVE travel as an inspiration. Hawaii is going to be awesome.
ReplyDeleteMy three trips to Israel have helped me to write my scenes and characters in Israel with first-hand experience and accuracy in a way I didn't have when I was only going on second-hand research. Someday I hope to travel to some of the other places outside of the United States where some of my characters live or have lived, like Hungary, England, Holland, and Russia.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the need to travel. I would love to visit Ireland or Scotland, because I usually think of those places when I describe my setting. And just looking at pictures on the Internet does not help.
ReplyDeleteI've traveled widely but write about where I'm from, South Louisiana. However, if I hadn't traveled and lived overseas I don't think I'd appreciate home as much.
ReplyDeleteNew places always spark my brain, but not always a complete story. And...ooo...I'm building a writer retreat here in Akumal, Mexico on the Rivera Maya. When it's done, will you consider coming?
ReplyDeleteHeather, this is wonderful. Travel really does open the door to opportunity. We just have to be willing to look through it. I'm so looking forward to Hawaii. Still hoping!!!
ReplyDeleteI would love to go to Maui too! You're getting me to daydream...
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