The Traveling Writer

photo courtesy lusi, rgbstock.com

Summer is upon us. While it is a fun time of vacations and family events, it's also a tricky time for the traveling writer. We want to keep up with our writing goals of minimum word counts and/or pages written, maintain blog posts and social media, and leave a foot planted in the other world of literary happenings so we don't feel out of the loop. Such ambitions are lofty, but not altogether impossible with a little planning and--dare I say it--goal downsizing. Here are a few tricks I like to employ:

• Rise early and get the writing done before anyone else wakes up, but put a little slack in your daily goals (i.e., if you normally write 1,000 words a day, decrease it to 500)
• Take vacation time to plot and research other stories and ideas instead of working on a current project: this takes less uninterrupted time, and I've found being on the road tends to add a little extra spark to the imagination
• Read for writing: instead of using travel time to read solely for pleasure, grab that marketing book and a highlighter and plow through it mid-flight
• Schedule your blogs: Write your blogs in advance and schedule them to post while you are on your vacation, schedule guest bloggers, or--if your break is less than a couple weeks--post to let your readers know you will be taking a vacation
• Post interesting pictures or tidbits about your vacation on your social media periodically (make sure it's interesting and not overly personal)

Last but not least:

• Give yourself permission to have a good time. It is, after all, a vacation.

Although all writers should wear that "get your seat in the chair" mindset like a banner across the brain, we must also be purposeful about stepping back a little to enjoy and be a part of the real life stories going on around us. So continue to write while you travel, continue to plot and plan and engage your readership, but take a courageous (and generous) step back when your travels involve family time. This way, the story you live will far out-impact any story you could ever write. Happy travels!

Tanara McCauley

tanaramccauley.com