Home > Work > Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler
1 " As Barbara Kingsolver said, “Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, writers will go to stupefying lengths to get the infernal roar of words out of their skulls and onto paper. "
― Lavinia Spalding , Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler
2 " For my money, this is the highest purpose of journaling. A travelogue enables you to look inward while studying the unfamiliar scenes around you, "
3 " Making the journal equal to the journey is simply a matter of shifting your intention: you’re no longer traveling and keeping a log on the side, but embarking with a dual purpose. "
4 " It’s the same with writer’s block—a surefire way to break the spell is to begin writing furiously, about anything. "
5 " Talk to companions, family, locals, and new acquaintances about your writing, gently impressing upon them that keeping a journal is important to you. First, doing so will compel you to write, because if you’ve told them you’re working on something meaningful and they see you sunning yourself on the beach reading smut novels and trashy magazines all the time you’ll be embarrassed. Second, when you introduce yourself as a writer you’ll be treated with regard when seen writing. If you present the journal as something you love, people will see it as beloved and make space for it. "
6 " Turning something into a ritual eliminates the question, Why am I doing this? "
7 " A journal is personal travel insurance, protecting your memories from strolling off un-chaperoned, vanishing without a goodbye or backwards glance. This is the driving force behind most people’s road journals, and although basic, its importance cannot be overstated. The human memory is feeble and needs all the help it can get. "
8 " The thing is, even if you start out with a firm resolve and a clear intention, your journal will die a slow death if you write in it only when the spirit moves you. "
9 " journal; it’s a deeply intimate affair and by far the most private of all writing projects, and no one can or should tell you exactly how to approach it. That would be like advising you on how to bathe or pray—it’s really your own deal. I do, however, know what works for me and for lots of other writers, and I have ideas to share. "
10 " Procrastination hurts almost any project, but it’s murder on a travel journal. First "
11 " In fact, there’s nothing like travel to swing wide all the artistic channels, "