I’ve been thinking about Hawaii rather a lot lately. I’m not sure if it’s the place I miss so much, as the wealth of experiences I absorbed. I drew my first serious picture in Hawaii, waiting for my laundry to finish at the laundromat. I went kayaking for the first time. I went snorkeling for the first time. I had my 7,310th near death experience snorkeling, actually…which lead to a brilliant idea for a story, but never mind that.
I spent all day, every day, for 7 days with my husband. He usually works 7 days a week, so the fact that we had that much time together was priceless. It was such a beautiful time for me, and though I didn’t write a single word while in Hawaii, I’ve written thousands since that have greatly benefited from that trip.
Thinking back on it, I sort of wonder if experiences like these are necessary for the everyday writer. I’m not talking about needing something as grand as a trip to Hawaii, but needing to have new experiences if not daily, than frequently?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one. Are you a writer? Do you have this need? How do you fill it?
Please share. I look forward to your comments.
Jan 25, 2011 @ 21:55:34
While I’ve really never travelled there is plenty of newness out there to be had. I think it does help writers to experience new things. As writers we need to be open to experiencing and writing about the world around us. I tend to be a curious person and I don’t always accept the easiest explanation. Many times I want to dig further to uncover the true story.
Jan 27, 2011 @ 16:47:13
The beauty of life is, you don’t have to go far at all to find something new to experience. Just recently I went on my first ferry ride (exciting!) less than an hour away from where I live. No one else seemed excited about it. I guess when you take one to work everyday it’s no more exciting than a bus. Oh well.
Feb 03, 2011 @ 12:58:41
First off, I LOVE your coral sketch – it’s really beautiful 😀
I think one of the requirements of being a writer is to experience as much in life as your budget/lifestyle/circumstances allow – and always ask ‘what if’. Even if you apply that question ‘what if’ to something extremely mundane it can open up your imagination.
Have a great day xx