Writing while away from home

With the vast majority of jobs you actually have to turn up at your place of employment in order to complete your work for the day. I experienced that scene for over 35 years in another life – when I was an elementary school teacher. Increasingly people are working from home which I believe is a very positive move.

The good thing about writing is that you can basically do it anywhere. I am constantly aware that everything I do and everywhere I go there is potential writing material staring me in the face. I usually carry with me a small notebook mainly to write down lists of birds that I see. But this little notebook also doubles as a writing notebook. Sometimes I just jot down ideas, impressions of a place, experiences and so on. Sometimes I will jot down ideas for stories and even the occasional poem or haiku slips its way into my notebook.

The good thing about holidays is that your writing goes with you. I am currently on holiday visiting my son and daughter-in-law in Sydney. We see them about once a year so it is a precious time. My faithful little notebook came along for the ride (actually I have a supply of them with me). But I also brought along my laptop. It usually travels with me and in the evenings I can get on with recording the day’s events and I can be working on writing projects as well.

The importance of taking a break from writing cannot be emphasized too much. While I take the means of writing with me when I travel I find that it is important to take time out from it frequently. This gives me fresh insights, renewed enthusiasm, new ideas, inspiration – especially when in the Australian bush which I love so much – and renewal for the body, mind and soul.

So – take time out to smell the roses, go for a walk, look at the clouds, watch the birds or sit in the sun. Your writing will benefit from the short break.

Good writing.