I broke one of the rules that so many writers live by this past week: Write everyday. On some types of vacations it is nearly impossible to write. It is not that I can’t find the time to write, I usually can, it’s just that the situation just isn’t quite right for writing.
The reasons (excuses)
- Even when you are not driving, you are either navigating or, at least in my case, drifting off to sleep. And to help keep the driver awake and motivated, we always listen to books on CD which is always distraction.
- Hotel room, 2 double beds, 3 kids… you do the math.
- Our vacations usually involve a lot of sightseeing and a lot of walking, so you don’t always have a lot of energy left over at the end of the day to write, and you are usually up early to be there when the museum/park/tourist trap opens.
- It takes a lot of time and energy to feed yourself on the road.
- Laptops are hard to use unless you have an uncluttered flat surface to set them on. And with 3 kids in a single hotel room, how much uncluttered flat surface do you think you have??
- I hate writing in my notebook on my lap… the only place you can write on in a car or crowded room
So I’m not a Stephen King or Walter Mosley and don’t do well writing anywhere at anytime. I need a consistent place and routine to make it work for me. I also still prefer to have no one else in the room when I write. I can do it with others there, but prefer to be alone. And I’m sure Mr. King and Mr. Mosley can afford a condo or at least an extra hotel room when traveling on vacation.
